My name is Justus Omuka. I was born on 20th October 2003 to a single mother. We were five of us but one child passed away. We were brought up in the slums of Dandora Estate in Nairobi, Kenya. My mother used to do odd jobs to feed us since she was the only breadwinner. Life in the slums is very difficult and getting a meal a day was like a dream. Most of the time we either slept hungry or were out of school most times due to lack of fees. 

Being the second born, I would look after my younger siblings as my mother went looking for casual jobs to feed and educate us. I would often drop in and out of school due to a lack of fees but never lost hope. Sadly as fate would have it, my mother was struck with a strange disease and could no longer support us, forcing her to relocate to the countryside. She left two of us in the care of a guardian. 

Luckily, one day my sister got admitted to a school named Bringers of Joy Education Centre and I was left alone in the slums of Dandora. Life became very difficult but God was with me. My sister remembered how I was suffering alone at Dandora and she pleaded with the director of the School to admit me as well. The Director of the school named Bringers of Joy Education Centre, accepted to admit me into class 4 in the year 2014. 

At the school, we were given food and accommodation for free together with a few other needy cases we found there. The Director of the School, Mrs Damaris Ngure was also a pastor. She would encourage me a lot and became like my second mother as well as my spiritual mentor. With the support of the Director and her husband, I was able to go through my primary school studies with a lot of determination, believing that one day I would be able to support a needy case like me in the future. 

I managed to sit for my KCPE exam in the year 2018 and passed well with 366 marks, but again there was a challenge in my enrollment for a Form 1 place. The Director of the school volunteered to sponsor me for secondary education at a nearby day school while giving me food and shelter. He also looked for a sponsor for my entire secondary education while he provided me with food and shelter within the school. Eventually, I was able to sit for my KCSE exam in the year 2022 and scored a C plain. 

So far I have not been able to enroll at any Tertiary institution, especially so because am living from hand to mouth. Currently, am sheltered at Bringers of Joy Education Centre while doing odd jobs here and there with the hope and prayer that one day I will find a sponsor who will be willing to pay for my college fees. 

If I had any hope of a sponsor, I would look for a college, and am confident that I would be admitted. My dream is to become an Electrical or Mechanical Engineer if I ever get a sponsor. I promised myself that should I realize my dream, I will also strive to lift a needy case just like I was assisted and also look after my ailing and elderly mother. So help me God.