Background Summary
When Rael Achieng joined the African Orphan Education Foundation (AOEF) sponsorship program through Light Up Hope in 2018, she was a shy but determined young girl with a dream of building a better life for herself and her family. Today, she is a confident Grade 8 student who excels in her studies, inspires her classmates, and is a testament of restored dignity and hope.
But Rael’s journey cannot be told without honoring the remarkable strength of her mother, Catherine Okwaro, a single mother of four whose life has been marked by hardship, sacrifice, and an unwavering belief in the power of education.
For years, Catherine lived in an abusive marriage with a husband who struggled with chronic alcoholism and frequently assaulted her. The violence became unbearable. She found herself sinking deeper into despair, overwhelmed by fear and hopelessness, to the point of contemplating suicide. With no plan and no safety net, she made the courageous decision to leave with nothing but her children and the will to survive.
Life as a single mother in the slums of Kwa Njenga offered no relief. Even during her marriage, she had been the sole provider, working as a casual laborer washing heavy loads of laundry. After leaving, she continued this exhausting work, despite the toll it took on her health, to ensure her children had at least one meal a day. At her lowest moments, she even considered returning to her rural village because life in the slum had become nearly impossible.
Then, hope arrived.
The AOEF scholarship changed everything!
With support for school fees, books, supplies, and uniforms, Rael was able to stay in school consistently, no longer missing classes due to financial challenges. The stability restored in Rael’s life lifted a crushing financial, emotional, and mental burden from Catherine’s shoulders, too.
Catherine remembers those days vividly: “Before Light Up Hope Africa came in to sponsor my daughter, life was a nightmare. I lay awake at night wondering what would become of my children. Every day, there was a battle to find food and keep them in school. There were days when Rael stayed home because I couldn’t pay the fees. Watching her dreams fade broke my heart. When Light Up Hope Africa stepped in, it felt like a heavy cloud lifted. My daughter had a real chance. I could breathe. I could hope again. They didn’t just sponsor Rael; they restored my faith in the future.”
Even as Rael flourished at Mwangaza Missions School, Catherine continued to work tirelessly as a casual laborer in the slums to feed her children. But despite her hard work, life remained extremely difficult.
A New Beginning Through Economic Empowerment
Catherine’s journey toward stability took a powerful turn in June 2025, when she was selected to receive a Light Up Hope Household Economic Empowerment Grant Support: an opportunity that promised not just financial support but a pathway to dignity and independence. With the 30,000 KES grant, she opened a small roadside shop stocked with everyday essentials, including diapers, soap, and tissues. What began as a modest venture quickly grew into a steady, reliable source of income, transforming not only her livelihood but the rhythm of her family’s life.
For Catherine, the impact has been nothing short of life-changing. No longer forced to rely on physically exhausting casual labor, she can now provide her children with the stability they once lacked: three nutritious meals a day, consistent school fees, and a home filled with renewed hope. Her shop has restored her dignity and confidence, giving her a sense of purpose she feared she had lost. Today, she stands proudly in her community as a small business owner, a symbol of resilience and what donor support makes possible.
A Future Rewritten
Rael, too, carries the impact of transformation in her heart. “Growing up, I saw my mother physically assaulted and working so hard to meet our needs. Some days we slept hungry. I feared my dreams would die. But when Light Up Hope Africa sponsored my education, everything changed. I could study without fear, and my mother could finally rest from her worries. Today, I wake up excited to learn. I have hope again, and I know my future can be different.” Now studying diligently at Mwangaza Missions School, Rael is surrounded by teachers who believe in her potential and classmates who share her dreams of a brighter tomorrow, proof that one opportunity can rewrite a child’s entire future.
Rael’s family is living proof of what donor generosity makes possible: a child thriving in school, a mother who has escaped violence and despair, a family rising above poverty, and a business now standing proudly where hopelessness once lived. Every donation to AOEF and Light Up Hope does more than sponsor a student; it restores dignity, breaks generational cycles of poverty, and transforms entire family trajectories. Rael and Catherine’s story reminds us that hope may not erase hardship, but it gives families the strength to walk through fire and the courage to rise again. With every act of kindness, more lives like theirs are illuminated, turning dreams into reality and building a future where no child’s potential is lost to poverty.
Reprinted with permission from African Orphan Educational Foundation’s Kenya partner Light Up Hope.