Blind faith: A tale of the triumph of faith over fate

by | posted in: CSR, News | 791

By Jane Staley 

David Kamau did not get off to an easy start in life. He was born to a blind father and the condition proved to be hereditary. Thus, Kamau himself was born incurably blind. The blow was too much for his mother: she left both of them to their fate.  Many people might have given up: but not Kamau. ‘I just loved to learn,’ he said, ‘so I decided to make the best of my education’.

Kimau’s education began at Kiboko Primary School on the shores of Lake Elmenteita. And here it soon became clear that he was no ordinary student. ‘He was brilliant,’ said his headmaster, James Muna. ‘He was always the best student in class’. Trouble, however, lay ahead. When Kamau’s primary education ended, his father could not afford to send him to secondary school in the nearby town of Nakuru. ‘It wasn’t just the text books that he couldn’t afford,’ says James Muna, ‘it was also the living costs, the transport, the uniform; even the shoes for the boy’s feet.’ This was a challenge indeed.

But fate is not always malign.

James Muna and Kamau decided to approach Elizabeth Njeri, the manager of Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp, which also stands on the shores of Lake Elmenteita. Elizabeth knew Kamau well. She and her staff had already helped him by taking turns to guide him to school through the Soysambu Conservancy (something of a necessity for a blind boy trying to find his way through a wilderness full of buffalos). Elizabeth’s reaction was immediate. ‘I used a little of my marketing budget,’ she says, ‘and a little of a few other budgets too.’ She laughs, ‘in fact my entire team put their heads together to see what we could do’. They did well: they paid for everything.

And so it was that Kamau went to secondary school. And here, to nobody’s surprise, he proved to be an utterly remarkable student. So remarkable that, at the end of his secondary school years, he was accepted at Maseno University in Kisumu. His goal was to study for a Bachelor of Education in Special Needs. ‘It was my dream to be able to teach people like me to overcome their disadvantages,’ he says.  But dreams come with a price tag, one that Kamau could not afford: the fees, the books, the accommodation. The cost was way beyond his means. But, yet again, he persevered. ‘Mr Muna and I went back to see Madam Elizabeth at Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp,’ he says, ‘I had faith that somehow she would help’.

And, of course, she did.

Not only did she ensure he had everything he needed but she also added some jeans and trainers. ‘It made all the difference,’ says Kamau, patting his jeans, ‘I looked like every other student. Nobody treated me any differently’.

But fate had not finished with Kamau.

On his way to the college, where he was studying Information Technology in the short time before he was due to go to university, Kamau, unable to see the danger that was hurtling towards him, was hit by a bus. He was rushed to the nearest hospital. But, as is usual, a deposit of many thousands of shillings was required before he could even be admitted. And more heavy costs were to follow.  By now, however, Kamau’s guardian angels had joined the Olympic league of problem-solving.  Kiboko Primary School contacted Elizabeth; and somehow the funds were raised.

Today, Kamau’s broken collar bone has been mended. And he has already enrolled at Maseno University.  It will take four years, but everybody knows that he will graduate with flying colours. Because Kamau is invincible and unstoppable.

He is also sublimely inspirational.

‘I have been blessed,’ he says. ‘Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp and Kiboko Primary School have been like parents to me. I have been very lucky in life.’

Many of us would say that young David Kamau has been anything but lucky in life. But perhaps his luck lies in the shining purity of his blind faith.

 

791 Responses

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    great job,,let me say not everyone has a heart like yours guys may God bless you and lets support him together we can .

  3. Stephen kimani
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    Elizabeth you’re a mother whose care and manage.
    Also you’re born with mercy Madam Elizabeth,May God bless you Elizabeth.
    We pray for David to prosper and God will not let David being shame

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