I met Stella in 2010 when I was on a medical mission trip to Kenya, and was touched by her situation - a young single woman who had lost both parents to war and AIDs, and her fiancé to a motorcycle accident. She was valiantly trying to raise her younger brother, sister and her son on her own. Stella eeks out a living as a street vendor (currently selling eggs) and over the years I have helped (and continue to help) her with money for food, medicine, school tuition and even a new tin roof for her tiny house. About 3 years ago, Stella was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and has been hospitalized multiple times, which not only jeopardizes her ability to work but ultimately threatens her life. The medicine she needs is not expensive by American standards, (between $40-$50/month) but it is far beyond her ability to purchase consistently. In addition, her son, Emanuel, will enter high school in January, and the only hope that this family will ever grow out of poverty is if Emanuel can complete his and earn a diploma. Public schools in Kenya charge high fees and students must buy all their own books, school supplies, and school uniforms. Their village is miles from the school, so he also needs money for transportation. There is simply no way that Stella can pay school expenses and still afford food and medicine. I know the world is full of people like Stella, and as the saying goes, we can't throw our arms around the world. But if this story touches your heart in any way, and you have a few dollars to spare, no donation is too small to help Stella afford her medicine and Emanuel take a giant step towards completing his education.

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to get my fundraiser posted, I am using the same link I had used before. So while it appears that I have already raised over $500, more than $300 of that was from 2024. My stand alone goal for this year would be $450 ... that would pay school expenses for all three terms with some money left over for medication expenses. Thanks!