Help Him Rise Out of Poverty & Achieve His Dreams
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Needed by end of October 2020. This is a fundraising campaign for 20-year-old Naftali Omondi from western Kenya. Naftali has an opportunity to complete a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree program at TUM (Technical University of Mombasa). See attached images for documented evidence regarding his acceptance to the degree program and notice of resumptions of studies after ending of corona virus closure. He has completed one semester towards his degree, and he needs help to continue his classes. Naftali’s second semester was cut short due to the university closing in early 2020 because of the corona virus pandemic. All that remains for the second semester are final exams.
As brief background to the Omondi family, Naftali and his siblings were orphaned at a young age and their older brother John, who was only 12 years old, was forced to raise the siblings. The siblings are all still together living in extreme poverty in western Kenya. A separate GoFundMe campaign in 2019 helped the Omondi siblings with several emergency expenses as well as paying for Naftali’s bus fare to Mombasa and the first-year tuition/books at the university.
Naftali with his sister Grace in Sep. 2019. Naftali is preparing to leave for the bus station for his first trip to the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM):
Naftali at the bus station in Sep. 2019, ready to leave for a long trip to Mombasa for college. He was nervous!:
Naftali at the University in 2019 for his first semester:
However, there was not enough to pay for suitable accommodation, so he was forced to live in a Mombasa slum while attending classes. “I used to stay in a slum in a mud walled slanting house. The challenges l had were that l could not attend night studies at the library due to insecurity at night, clean water was a problem, sewage was just passing along the door and there was much noise and commotion caused mainly by the drug taking street children.”
Naftali had to live here in 2019-2020 while attending university. It was very challenging and dangerous but he worked hard to maintain good grades:
Naftali had to live in this Mombasa slum in 2019-2020, far from the university. We have the chance to provide him with a decent studio apartment close to the campus in 2021:
Naftali lived in this mud wall housing in 2019-2020. This campaign can provide him with safe housing close to campus in 2021 for $67/mo:
Naftali completed Year-1/Semester-1 (equivalent to Fall semester) in December 2019 and enrolled in Year-1/Semester-2 (equivalent to Spring semester) which started in January 2020. The university shut down due to the corona virus pandemic before final exams. He was almost stranded in Mombasa without a way to get back home, 14 hours away on the opposite side of the country. The city was in chaos and we were able to pay for a bus fare for Naftali to return home shortly before bus travel was shut down as well. Naftali has been home since then.
In the Fall of 2020 Naftali and his siblings were able to attend the Feast of Tabernacles thanks to a kind donation from some church members in Kenya, and we were then able to provide funds for taxi transportation home from the Feast.
Naftali Omondi with some young people, including some of his siblings, at the 2020 Feast of Tabernacles:
Naftali with friends and family at the 2020 Feast of Tabernacles:
The university has recently re-opened and notified the students that a 3-week refresher study period and final exams will commence in early November and then Year-2/Semester-1 will commence in January. This GoFundMe campaign is requesting funds for Naftali's bus trip back to Mombasa, accommodations during the next 6 months (November refresher classes/final exams, hold-over in December, and at least the next semester). He does have the option of returning home after the November final exams, then returning in January, but as you can imagine it would be preferable to simply stay from November and into the start of the January semester.
We will send 100% of your donation directly to Naftali via instant money transfer, and we will pay additionally for all money transfer fees.
Here is a detail of the minimum funds needed only through next semester:
Initial shuttle fare/travel accommodations: 5,500 KES (Kenyan Shilling)= $52
Tuition/Lab Fee/Books for Year-2/Sem-1: 77,500 KES = $731
Supplies: 5,288 KES = $50
Food: 36,000 KES (6,000 KES/month x 6 months) = $340 ($56/mo)
Cell service/data for online lessons component: 27,000 KES (4,500 KES/month x 6 months) = $255 ($42.55/mo)
Accommodations: 42,000 KES (7,000 KES/month x 6 months): = $400 ($67/mo)
Total: 193,288 KES = $1828.00
Your help for Naftali will be key in putting him on a path out of a desperate situation. Without help Naftali won't have the means to return to college and continue his degree program. The Omondi family is hard-working and have overcome many incredible difficulties. Thank you for your consideration.
As brief background to the Omondi family, Naftali and his siblings were orphaned at a young age and their older brother John, who was only 12 years old, was forced to raise the siblings. The siblings are all still together living in extreme poverty in western Kenya. A separate GoFundMe campaign in 2019 helped the Omondi siblings with several emergency expenses as well as paying for Naftali’s bus fare to Mombasa and the first-year tuition/books at the university.
Naftali with his sister Grace in Sep. 2019. Naftali is preparing to leave for the bus station for his first trip to the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM):
Naftali at the bus station in Sep. 2019, ready to leave for a long trip to Mombasa for college. He was nervous!:
Naftali at the University in 2019 for his first semester:
However, there was not enough to pay for suitable accommodation, so he was forced to live in a Mombasa slum while attending classes. “I used to stay in a slum in a mud walled slanting house. The challenges l had were that l could not attend night studies at the library due to insecurity at night, clean water was a problem, sewage was just passing along the door and there was much noise and commotion caused mainly by the drug taking street children.”
Naftali had to live here in 2019-2020 while attending university. It was very challenging and dangerous but he worked hard to maintain good grades:
Naftali had to live in this Mombasa slum in 2019-2020, far from the university. We have the chance to provide him with a decent studio apartment close to the campus in 2021:
Naftali lived in this mud wall housing in 2019-2020. This campaign can provide him with safe housing close to campus in 2021 for $67/mo:
Naftali completed Year-1/Semester-1 (equivalent to Fall semester) in December 2019 and enrolled in Year-1/Semester-2 (equivalent to Spring semester) which started in January 2020. The university shut down due to the corona virus pandemic before final exams. He was almost stranded in Mombasa without a way to get back home, 14 hours away on the opposite side of the country. The city was in chaos and we were able to pay for a bus fare for Naftali to return home shortly before bus travel was shut down as well. Naftali has been home since then.
In the Fall of 2020 Naftali and his siblings were able to attend the Feast of Tabernacles thanks to a kind donation from some church members in Kenya, and we were then able to provide funds for taxi transportation home from the Feast.
Naftali Omondi with some young people, including some of his siblings, at the 2020 Feast of Tabernacles:
Naftali with friends and family at the 2020 Feast of Tabernacles:
The university has recently re-opened and notified the students that a 3-week refresher study period and final exams will commence in early November and then Year-2/Semester-1 will commence in January. This GoFundMe campaign is requesting funds for Naftali's bus trip back to Mombasa, accommodations during the next 6 months (November refresher classes/final exams, hold-over in December, and at least the next semester). He does have the option of returning home after the November final exams, then returning in January, but as you can imagine it would be preferable to simply stay from November and into the start of the January semester.
We will send 100% of your donation directly to Naftali via instant money transfer, and we will pay additionally for all money transfer fees.
Here is a detail of the minimum funds needed only through next semester:
Initial shuttle fare/travel accommodations: 5,500 KES (Kenyan Shilling)= $52
Tuition/Lab Fee/Books for Year-2/Sem-1: 77,500 KES = $731
Supplies: 5,288 KES = $50
Food: 36,000 KES (6,000 KES/month x 6 months) = $340 ($56/mo)
Cell service/data for online lessons component: 27,000 KES (4,500 KES/month x 6 months) = $255 ($42.55/mo)
Accommodations: 42,000 KES (7,000 KES/month x 6 months): = $400 ($67/mo)
Total: 193,288 KES = $1828.00
Your help for Naftali will be key in putting him on a path out of a desperate situation. Without help Naftali won't have the means to return to college and continue his degree program. The Omondi family is hard-working and have overcome many incredible difficulties. Thank you for your consideration.
Organizer
Paul N Beth Kendall
Organizer
Clinton, MO
