Patrick Mwenda.

Hi mum…

Am grateful and much delighted to share with you my life history, it might not be very pleasant but it is through your total support and full care that even I can be able to communicate with you and at least I can say I have an history which was not good but now I can see light at the end of the tunnel. All regards goes to you mum much love

My full name is Patrick Mwenda 23 years old, by which I can say that out of those 23 years have stayed in our children’s for 19 years, by this it tells you that am among the people in the children’s home who have experienced your total and unfailing love since I was a young boy who had no hope, no future, simply I was not living I was just existing in this life but now I can say am living a worth life.

So to start my autography, I will start by saying I was born in a complicated polygamous family my mum was a second wife to my father, in which my mother was married to this man due to the poor life she was living, she had been mistreated by her former husband and sent back to her mum where they lived with her. By that time my mum had only one child .so after staying with her mum and experiencing the hardship of life my mum was married again by another man who is my father. My mum had one child with my father before she died but we are two that is my lovely sister and I although we are not of the same father. Am told that my mum died when I was only 2 years old and my sister was only five years by then. It is not very well understood what killed my mum because every time I ask people they give me different stories some says is due to witchcraft others says was due to severe illness so I have no standing opinion about the cause of death of my biological mum . Even my sister does not know what killed our mum because by then she was young too. So up to now I don’t know what killed my mum but my grand mum strongly believes it was witchcraft.

After the burial of my mum it took about 5 months and my father married another woman, this was his third wife. This is where all the drama started because I can’t remember what was actually happening my grandmother tells me that my father and the step mother started mistreating me. Most of the time I was not given food, I was forced to sleep on the floor where they could urinate on me. I had no clothes to wear, zero care was given to me by the step mother and no action was taken by the father. Basically I lacked both basic and secondary needs. So my grandmother took an initiative to take care of me just by providing for me the primary needs she could afford at the moment. Considering the age and we were with my elder sister it was a bit challenging to her because she had no job which could sustain us. But one thing I love about her is that she was a God fearing woman who was very prayerful for everyday she made sure at least we could afford something to put in our stomach. So she struggled with us helping us where possible but most of time as I am told we had no food, shelter was a problem too because the house was made from cow dung roofed with grass so during the rainy season we experienced a lot of problems and most of time she was sick making us to beg for food from our neighbors.

I cannot remember well if we were exactly going to new life church that time but am convinced it was New Life church but I know we were going to church during the year 2000 when it was announced the the church was looking for the orphans and most needy people to help I can’t remember the criteria was used but most probably they picked the most needy child in the church and I was that child. So the following day I was to be taken to children home.

Sincerely speaking I was not aware of what was happening but I can only remember my grand mum telling me that I have new parents to take care of you, who you will forever respect as your biological parents. So in the year 2000, I was in the Nyambene children’s home were they said I was so small to be taken to school immediately. I think I was small of age because of malnutrition. So I was to wait for another 3 years at least so that I can gain weight and grow so as to catch up with other children. In my new home I enjoyed because food and clothes was available. I found people who were loving and caring but for the first two weeks I experienced loneliness, felt a bit insecure because it was a new place, new people and with my sister not around, many of the times I tried to run away but the staffs were caring and they encouraged and nurtured me like their own son, in few weeks I adapted and I found big brothers who treated me like their own small brother. I had no experience of living with brothers before so I enjoyed doing childish things with them and it was very enjoyable.

So I stayed in the children home for 3 years before I was taken to school. For those three years, I was properly feed and taught many things which I attribute them as good parenting. I remember the virtues of love, care respect, trust were hammered to me, and most of these things have helped me up to date. I was taken to school on 2003, that is Luluma primary school where I schooled for 2 years that was nursery school and class one then the manager took us to the nearest school Luluma primary school was about 2-3km from Maua town. So after completing class one we were taken to another primary school (Kilalai primary school) considering it was near to the Home which we had shifted to in Ruongone in 2005 that was our permanent home. So we were taken to the new school where I schooled until I completed my primary education. In primary schooled I managed to various awards for academic awards due to good performance, in class seven award of most obedient and discipline students in the school and I was awarded prefect award for three consecutive years. I completed my primary education in 2011 and I attained 311 were I was position four in our class. Due to my performance considering it was a public primary school I secured a place in Kaaga boys.

In Kaaga boys, I schooled there for four years where I maintained the spirit of good student through passing my exams and participating in co-curriculum activity such badminton and football. I also became school prefect in form 2 where I guided other students in good morals and maintaining a good relationship between students and teachers. I completed my secondary school education in 2015

I completed my secondary school and joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to pursue my dream course. I wanted to be a clinician and I was lucky to secure a position in the course I loved so much. I am pursuing Bachelor of Science in clinical medicine. This period in campus I can see I have enjoyed and am working very smart to see my dream come true. Through your total support am proud to say that I am enjoying my life in campus ,am I putting my full effort in order to be proud in future and make you happy mum. When I complete my studies I know you will be happy. I enjoyed most of the things that I did in my junior classes but I mostly enjoyed my anatomy classes especially dissection classes where we could dissect cadavers and learn various parts of the body, learn how body operates and the pathological part of it. In my senior classes I have enjoyed mostly my reproductive health rotations in hospitals and pediatric rotations in the hospital. I am studying smart and in future I want to specialize in either reproductive health or pediatric where I will help mothers and children through building a good hospital care for mothers and they will be helped in that hospital. The inspiration of doing these is that most of our mothers undergoes a lot of pain especially those who deliver at home making them to have post partum illnesses which can be prevented through a good maternal health care. With children, have seen children suffer especially children below five years. I want to give back to the community through a health program that benefits children who lacks proper health by providing a good health to them, a programme that ensures that children will get all immunization less costly.

I can say that the course is not that difficult but it is more challenging and needs more time in books. Sometimes it is difficult to learn everything but as I read several times the content sticks permanently.

Next year I will be joining fourth year. Almost 2 years remaining because after I finish fourth year I will have to undergo a one year internship program. But during internship no fees is required it is all about gaining more experience, knowing more about the professions and polishing everything I did in university.