Francis Ikoha
Francis was born in 1990 into a Christian family in a small farming village in Western Kenya. His parents were productive framers. Francis’ earliest memories of his time on the land with his parents were working with them in the gardens and a jealous uncle who was constantly fighting with his father. The uncle claimed that the land had been divided unfairly and he wanted it all. He finally succeeded in chasing Francis’ father from the land. The family moved to a neighboring village where his father became a construction worker. He worked hard and was very successful. Unfortunately, the jealously of his brother didn’t stop. One day in 1998 they found his father beaten to death along the road. Francis mother went into shock and laid in a coma for 6 months. Following a slow recovery and continuing to mourn within 4 months she also died. Francis said, “My mom died of a broken heart.” Francis was nearly 9 years old and alone in the village with no family to care for he and his brother. He was now a “child head of household” caring for his little brother of 6 years.
Francis remembered the pain of losing both his mother and father. He lamented, “I didn’t know what to do. I started off for Nairobi thinking that I might find a home for boys that would take my brother and raise him. Someone directed me to the Don Bosco home for boys and I left him there where he remains today. From that day I began a struggle all my own. I was on the streets of Nairobi gathering garbage for a few shillings a day as a child laborer. I took the money that I earned and registered for the Kenya Primary School Certificate and I moved from grade 6 to grade 8 and graduated. I knew that I needed an education.”
Francis remained on the streets for 5 years. His time on the streets was frightening! There were the big street boys who wanted to manage him for homosexual favors for their regular clients. Francis said, “I had to hop from place to place to avoid being caught in their trap. At one point I got into a gang and was forced to steal cars and rob their drivers. I had started using glue and cigarettes and tried not to be addicted. I finally came to my senses and went to the chief of the area and asked him for help. Once he got involved, the gang stopped following me and before the month ended I was rescued from the streets by a family who provided me with shelter.”
The family that took Francis into their home connected him to the New Dawn High School. While it’s great that Francis to has a place to stay, he is living 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from school. With no money to use for transport to and from school it takes him 3 ½ hours to walk each way. He said, “I leave home in the dark in the morning and arrive home in the dark at night. After walking that far I am exhausted, I haven’t had anything to eat, and I find it hard to concentrate. I try my best and I am always in the top 10 in my class.’
Francis is a leader in the school. He is the head of the Boy Scout Troop. The Scout Troop is greatly handicapped in that Francis is one of two boys who have a uniform; they have no Scout handbooks, camping equipment or anything to make the Scouting experience real. He said, “We dream one day to have the things we need to make our scouting experience like it should be.”
“I am thankful for those who have stretched their arms across the sea to reach out to me and help me succeed. My experience at New Dawn has given me hope for the future. May God bless you for opening your hearts to me! God says he will protect you for the battle is his. He also says he is our provider for everything. Don’t worry!”
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