When You’re Seen, You Can Soar.
This October, the Mwanzo (Fun)draiser brings us together for an evening of laughter and generosity. But beyond the good food and community joy, this gathering carries a deeper purpose: it reminds us why Mwanzo exists in the first place.
Because at the heart of every Raise the Paddle gift is a story. This year, I want to take you inside two of those stories about a young person whose future can shift because a community chose to stand alongside them.
Let’s find out more about our two incredible students.
Joy’s Story
Joy Atieno Ouma is 19 and dreams of becoming a surgeon. At 13, she was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, and the frequent pain and hospital visits forced her to drop out of school in grade six.
Everything changed in 2021, when she joined the Mwanzo Wetu Center of Excellence (MWCEA) through the Home of Hope program. With steady meals, consistent medication, and teachers who believed in her, Joy regained her strength, caught up in school, and excelled in her national exams. She went on to earn a place at Rae Girls Boarding High School through Mwanzo’s Scholarship Program.
But sickle cell is relentless. Her health declined, and she transferred to a local day school so her parents could help care for her. For a while, support from USAID made her medication affordable in public hospitals. That safety net was life-changing for a child with a chronic illness in a rural village—ensuring she could stay in school and manage her condition. But when the program ended in 2025, the costs came crashing back. For Joy, that loss didn’t just mean money—it meant missed school, more hospital visits, and a daily fight to hold on to her dream.
Today, Joy is in grade eleven, still battling her health, but still showing up for her goal of becoming a surgeon
With education, her dream reaches far beyond herself—it opens the door to a future where she can care for others, uplift her family, and show younger students what’s possible when hope is restored.
Jim’s Story
Jim Otieno is 15 and comes from Kanyaliech village in Homabay County. He is the sixth of ten children, though three of his siblings died at a very young age. His father passed away in 2011 from HIV/AIDS, and his mother, Lilian Adhiambo, now 42, is living with HIV. Once a house help, Lilian’s health no longer allows her to work, leaving the family with almost nothing to fall back on.
That’s where Jim steps in. During school holidays, he makes charcoal to sell and works in neighbors’ farms. The little money he earns goes toward food for his family and transport back to school. For a boy his age, the weight of responsibility is enormous—and it often interrupts his schooling.
If you meet Jim, you might first notice his serious expression, the “sad eyes” of a young person carrying more than his share of life’s burdens. But now, as a high schooler sitting in class, eating a hot meal, or laughing with friends, something shifts. The spark returns. For those moments, he gets to simply be a student—and a kid—and that spark is infectious.
His mother, Lilian, is deeply grateful. She’s seen Jim improve academically and is relieved to know that at MWCEA, he can count on three meals a day and a safe place to learn.
More than that, she knows what his education can mean for the family’s future: if Jim finishes school, he can not only support his younger siblings, but also open doors for them that were once closed. His success becomes their hope.
Two Journeys, One Message
Joy and Jim’s lives may look different, one battling a chronic illness, the other carrying the weight of providing for his family, but their stories echo the same truth: when Mwanzo steps in, despair gives way to possibility.
Starting their education at MWCEA means more than lessons and exams. For Joy, it means a future where she can turn her pain into healing for others. For Jim, it means lifting his younger siblings alongside him. For both, it’s about hope, dignity, and the chance to believe tomorrow can be brighter.
This October at the Mwanzo (Fun)draiser, when you raise your paddle for Sponsor a High School Student, you’ll be standing with students like Joy and Jim. Your support keeps them in school, provides the care they need, and reminds them that they are not alone.
Because when you sponsor a student, you’re not just covering tuition, you’re opening doors that ripple across families and generations.