Meet Collins

Aged 9, Kenya

Collins lives with his siblings and elderly parents. Collins is the youngest. His eldest brother has mental health challenges, two of his older siblings are in high school and another has just completed grade eight and another is in grade six at a primary school. Their father used to milk cows and his mother used to sell fruits and vegetables to earn a living but they have both now retired.  The family live on their own piece of land and the house has an iron sheet roof and an earth floor. They use firewood as their main source of fuel for cooking and they fetch water from their neighbour's borehole which they boil first to drink. They have a functioning toilet.

Collins' father plants maize and uses the cows milk to feed the family. They do receive a little money from the government which is given to older people and they sometimes have to use this to take care of some daily provisions. Collins has now been accepted onto the sponsorship programme, which will assist the family and give him access to a quality education.

Collins is a shy young boy and speaks quietly. He keeps on smiling. He likes playing football with his friends and he loves athletics. When he is at home he enjoys taking the cattle to graze and then watching over them. He would like to be a pilot when he grows up.

Where Collins lives

The Open Arms project is joining the Stand by Me family in January 2022. Open Arms International was founded in 2006 to meet the immediate needs of orphaned and abandoned children in western Kenya who were suffering from a wide variety of life-threatening diseases. After the 2008 political violence left thousands of children orphaned, abandoned and homeless, the project grew to support more children. Today, the Open Arms Village is now home to over 150 children with 10 purpose-built family homes.

How your donation is used

92% of your donation will be used to directly provide the best care possible for Collins. We’ll use the remaining 8% to support the work of Stand by Me and find a sponsor for the next child.

What you receive

When you sponsor Collins you will receive a pack in the post with his story and photo. Every year you will receive an update about his/her progress, a new photo and at least one communication from him/her.

Real relationship

We know our kids love to receive your letters and write back so we encourage you to write as many letters as you like, along with photos and birthday gifts to develop a genuine relationship.

Stand by... almost there...