ST. MARY’S BOYS
SECONDARY SCHOOL
NYERI, KENYA
Connecting through Stories
B oy s f r o m t h e c h i l d r e s c u e p r o g ra m w h o
e n t e r e d t h e h i g h s c h o o l i n 2 0 1 4 s h a r e h ow
S t . M a r y ’ s h a s t ra n s f o r m e d t h e i r l i v e s .
ANTHONY NDIRITU
ANTHONY was born in the slums of Majengo in Nyeri County, Kenya. After his parents divorced, Anthony’s
mother carried him on her back as she looked for work. When he was two years old, they moved in with his
grandparents until illness forced his grandfather to lose his eyesight. At that time, Anthony moved with his
mother and sister to another village, but they still could not meet daily needs. After his sister died of meningitis
in 2010, neighbors told his mother about St. Mary’s. Anthony was accepted into the Juniors Program in September 2010 and
attended a local primary school before being admitted into the high school.
“I was then motivated by the Juniors Program to learn and acquire good life skills. May the Lord grant everything to the Juniors
Program sponsors to make it go forward with its mission. My objective is to score an A in 2017 and pursue law. St. Mary’s makes
me have the motivation to achieve what I need. If I couldn’t have been taken to St. Mary’s Juniors Program, I would be a street boy
fighting with life. Thanks for the founders of the program. I’m proud of it. When I will finish school and have a good job I will give
back to the community.”
BRIAN MUGAMBI
BRIAN’S parents both died when he was young, leaving him on the streets with his younger sister. They begged
for food and ate leftovers from neighbors. Both fought various diseases and almost died from ringworm.
Eventually, an uncle took in Brian and his sister. He later brought Brian to St. Mary’s and his sister to another
center.
“Here in St. Mary’s, I found the most of what I thought I had forever lost. I found love which was from all corners of the
environment, all other children were now my new brothers, the secondary students were my elder brothers for they always
corrected me with love and showed us how to do things when we did not know how to. The teachers worked tirelessly to help
forget about all our miseries and move on with life. They became our second parents for they did what our parents had always done
before departing us.
“Most of the time we exchanged our views about life and each one had a bright future. For sure we all had dreams, dreams that we
thought had died but now were kicking deep in us with a lot of energy. St. Mary’s brought out what I did not see in me. It gave me
what it takes to be where I am. My dream is to become a doctor. My aim in life is to one day have a children’s home where I will give
back to St. Mary’s and the society.”
JOHN MBURU
JOHN is one of five boys with two younger brothers and two older brothers. Of his older brothers, one is
married and the other attends St. Mary’s Secondary School. His younger brothers live with his grandmother.
John’s mother died in 2010 after an illness. At that time, teachers and a Brother from St. Mary’s took John into
the Juniors Program and enrolled him in a local primary school. He had not attended school since his mother
became ill and his father could not afford the fees.
“I was glad to get people who inspired my life in a better way; I was drowning but they saved me. I studied very hard in primary
school up to where my effort took me. I still work hard to make my future and the future of my brothers better. St. Mary’s has
helped me to build a good, strong foundation. In the past I didn’t have a future, but thanks to St. Mary’s, for it has enabled me
to recover it again. I found a solace where people took care of me and loved me. I would like to thank the entire community so
much. In the future, I would like to become a pilot who would fly from country to country taking care of people whose hearts were
broken.”
PAUL GICHUKI
PAUL’S older sister worked to support Paul and their mother because their mother was ill. Paul dropped out
of school after a few years following the influence of other boys who were not in school and he began to steal.
His mother tried everything she could to help Paul get an education, but he resisted. He ended up in jail for
five months before the court ordered him to spend three years in a rehabilitation center. It was there that Paul
decided to turn his life around. He heard about St. Mary’s and, out of desperation, sought it out when he was released.
“My great appreciation goes to all those who have supported me till where I am. I hope, and I’m really working hard for the
remaining years of my education, to make you proud of me. My career choice is to become a banker in one of the banks in Kenya.”
PETER KAMWARO MUNDIA
PETER’S life started out well, with his father’s job covering the family’s basic needs. He attended school and
lived with his parents, younger brother and younger sister. Then, in 2007, his father was killed outside of their
home in post-election violence. Following his father’s death, Peter moved with his mother and siblings from
Narok to Nyeri where they lived in a grass-thatched house. His mother worked small jobs to cover basic needs.
She was able to buy the children clothing, but did not earn enough to pay for school fees or uniforms. Peter collected and sold scrap
metal to earn money to buy food for his sister and brother. In 2010, his mother’s colleagues told her about St. Mary’s. Peter and his
brother were admitted, while his sister was sponsored in another center.
“I thank Brother Peter [Kombe, St. Mary’s headmaster] for how he gave me a chance to learn. I will help my family when I finish
my education, as my future career is accounting manager.”
Updated January 2015
by Christian Brothers Conference
Questions? Email [email protected]
www.lasallian.info/lasallian-family/twinning