Real Stories and Photo Gallery
Meet DanielDaniel Kimutai is 15 years old and, unlike many 15 year olds that we may know, Daniel experienced a very difficult start in life. At 6 months old, Daniel was abandoned and left for dead in a field in Eldoret, Kenya. A desperate decision, which was no doubt driven by poverty, but Daniel wasn’t ready to die. In fact, his life was about to take a different route.
A farmer found Daniel, and passed him onto Kip and Phyllis Keino, who ran an orphanage in Eldoret, called Kazi Mingi Farm. Kip, more famous for being an Olympic gold medallist (1968, 1972), has spent most of his adult life, with his wife, caring for abandoned and destitute children. When Daniel arrived at the orphanage in 1992 he was in much need of care and attention. He received clothes to wear, food to eat and most importantly, the love that he needed – he was now part of a big family with 50 other brothers and sisters.
The biggest challenge for the Keinos was the provision of a quality education for their adopted children. The only way to meet this need was to try to build a school where the children from the orphanage, and those from the local area, could start to learn and grow. Inspired by this vision, the Kazi Mingi Foundation (KMF) was founded, and by raising funds for this much needed school, KMF helped to build the KipKeino Primary School in Eldoret.
The KipKeino School opened in 1999, and Daniel Kimutai was one of the 1st pupils to attend. Daniel worked hard in his Primary School classes and made great progress. Education is paramount to Daniel’s future, having already had a profound impact on his life. Without these opportunities, he may never have realised his own potential, and may never have received the education he needed in order to triumph in a land full of need and poverty.
A boy with extremely strong character, Daniel now has a life ahead of him to be proud of. In 2007, Daniel joined Form One of St Bartholomew High School, KMF’s 2nd school project. Quite an achievement for someone who may never have realised his 1st birthday. "I am completely settled at St Bartholomew High School. I assure you that I’m going to work very hard and you’ll surely be proud of me." Daniel Kimutai, April 2009 Photo Gallery |
