I found love and happiness after losing 12 babies and two divorces

This year has been a wild ride for some, but for others, it was the year their lives changed dramatically for the better, thanks to other philanthropic souls. We speak to three of them.

Margaret Wanjohi.

I found love and happiness after losing 12 babies and two divorces

At a time like this last year, Margaret Wanjohi had no idea how she was going to sustain herself and her two daughters.

"I had a young child, and had no means to pay for rent or deed them. I had been divorced after going through domestic violence and tried going back home but I could not stay there," she says.

 Losing so many children either through miscarriage or infant deaths, divorce and financial instability to boot shrouded her in stigma, and it proved to be too much for the family. So she was all alone and barely making it through the days.

 "One morning I was watching television and they were talking about Diana Kamande, who was a victim of domestic violence and now works with widows like herself," she says. "Another lady called me and said she wanted me to meet Diana that Saturday.

 The very next day, they were on television together, narrating their experiences and speaking out against gender-based violence. After that, it has been media appearance after media appearance this year, thanks to that one encounter.

 "Diana is the one who opened all those channels for me. She connected me with a media station in the US called Kikuyu diaspora TV. I was interviewed and within eight hours the video had over 1,200 views," she says.

 That interview led to numerous calls from the US, with well-wishers sending her the much needed funds she needed to sustain a living. "I could finally pay rent, we could find food without a problem and my child could go to school," she says.

 It also opened up numerous other opportunities and she has produced her first Gospel music album and is a sought-after motivational speaker and vocal on gender-based violence issues. "I have been able to talk to people rejected for not having children and talked others out of suicide because of those opportunities," she says.

 The biggest highlight, however, is perhaps that she has once again found love through it all. "He was one of the people who watched my interview on Kikuyu diaspora TV. He lived outside the country, so we communicated for a while and then he came to see me. We are together now," she says.

 For her work with Widows, Diana Kamande was on Jamhuri Day feted with the Head of States commendation by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who said, in part, "For years you have given voices to widows and victims of domestic violence. You have amplified their voices to national and international spaces."

 Margaret is equally full of praise for Diana, with how her life turned around this year as a result of their connection. "She is an amazing woman. She is a destiny-shaper.  She helped me get to where I am. She did not use her pain to destroy, but to build other people."

The Narok triplets.

I was in shock at the news that I fainted

When Francis Gitau, 28, first heard his wife had delivered triplets on October 12 this year, he fainted. They could barely make meets ends with their two older children and was at a loss. How would he provide for three more babies? Gitau worked as a waiter in a small hotel, and at other times would till people's farms with his wife to earn a living.

And on the day his wife Jacinta was due, he only had enough money to cover her fare to hospital in Narok and not much else. He would borrow money later to g be with her. Just before he started the journey to the hospital, he went to the nearby kiosk to 'borrow' some tea in a thermos for his wife. He couldn't pay for it and left his national identification card at the kiosk to retrieve it after making payment.  When he got to the hospital, he promptly fainted when the nurse broke the news that his wife had delivered not one, but three children.

"I was just too shocked," he says. "I already have two other children, aged seven and four, and I was already struggling so I did not know how I was going to feed three more children."

At that time, the family was living in a one-roomed wooden structure that had one bed. The husband and wife slept on the bed, while the children slept on the floor.

 His plight was aired on television and caught the eye of well-wishers. To aid the couple, the hospital had given the family baby formula to last a month, a well-wisher drove them home and their landlord upgraded them to a slightly bigger cemented one-bedroomed house. This time, husband, wife and the triplets slept on the bed.

 Among the well-wishers who caught the TV feature was philanthropist Ndung'u Nyoro. "To hear a man so overwhelmed by receiving news of having triplets that he fainted made me want to understand why," he says. He shared the story on Facebook and someone give him Gitau's number. He then visited the home with 22 other people from Affecto Foundation on September 29. They spent the day with the family, cooked and shared meals with them, figuring out how they would assist them.

 "People had come forward and donated some money, so that day we were able to give them food items, baby clothes and baby formula to last three months. Two people offered to pay their rent, water and electricity bills for two years, while somebody else paid for their National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for one year," he says.

 The foundation does not give cash, so Nyoro and the team asked them to identify a project that they would support them in for sustainability's sake. The couple said that they were familiar with farming, so getting a plot of land where Mumbi could farm and live on without having to pay rent would be helpful. "I always loved driving and I have all the documents necessary, even a certificate of good conduct, so I am looking for a job as a driver," said Gitau.

The team bought them a one-acre plot in a fertile area of Kinangop, with a river at the foot of the land, and built them a two-bedroomed house that is half-day cemented and made of roofing sheets on the top half. They are also installing a solar system and piped water system there. The house was completed early this month and the couple was introduced to their new home that day, as a Christmas present.

 "I have no words. They have really changed our lives and we are not struggling any more. I don't know how I can repay them. I asked Ndung'u that and he said one day's potatoes from my new farm will be enough," said Gitau, laughing with joy.

A former watchman Gabriel Ochieng poses for a picture at Maranda High School.

From security guard to a student at the same school he watched over                 

In 2016, Gabriel Ochieng' was a Watchman, stationed outside Maranda School, watching with envy as students trooped in and out of the school. He had dropped out of primary school in Standard Seven, because his parents could not support him. His father was a drunk and his mother a struggling casual labourer. His one dream was to complete his studies. And this year, he was a form one student at the prestigious school.

 How, you ask?

A God-sent woman mentioned that there was a Unicef-sponsored programme - Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (Werk) - in Nairobi that helped needy students return to school. And so, determined, the 21-year-old left his job at the school with a promise to return, came to Nairobi. True to form, he was directed to join Ofafa Jericho Primary School where he was housed by the head teacher Elizabeth Kokwach, and teachers contributed towards his basic needs. When his story of determination was published in the Standard last year, a sponsor, Caleb Ogare, came forward.

 "I read his story and I was really touched. I contacted the school, talked to Ms Kokwach and they brought Gabriel over to speak with me," he says.

 After listening to his story, he decided to step in. "I told him I wanted to give him a second chance so that he could be an inspiration to other people," he says. "I called the chairman of the board of Maranda School and explained everything, and eventually we secured an admission to the school." He will be paying his fees for the four years.

 His life having taken a turn for the better, Gabriel is now done with his first year of studies at the national school, and will be joining form two next year.

Gabriel is a stickler for the familiar, and he says that he wants to be a top security expert. "I don't regret my past because the journey, though tough, has been full of learning. I have emerged more mature and determined to walk the journey of life without ever looking back,” he said.