Our Life Stories: Peter Kariuki

My name is Peter Kariuki and I am a Class 8  pupil at Rohi Primary School.  I was born in 1990, the third of 10 children born to my parents (I have four brothers and five sisters). I had a good childhood but when I was eleven years old, my father’s family convinced him to marry a second wife (because my mother was from a different tribe).  My father did marry again but he did not bring the new wife to live with us. Instead he set up another home. He was gone from us for days and weeks at a time. When he did come home, there were alway fights between him and my mother. He wasn’t in a position to take care of one family, let alone two. He became very harsh and cruel to us. In 2001, at  the age of eleven, I ran away and became a  street boy.’ Living on the streets was hard; going without food for days and sleeping in the cold.

But God had good plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11). After a year on the streets I was taken to the Rescue Center. Life was not easy there but God gave me the patience to stay where He put me and, at the end of 2002, when a group of boys was being chosen to go to Rohi Primary School, I was among them! From that point on my life was drastically changed. I met with teachers who were caring and loving. They encouraged me and helped me to know Christ more fully. Then God provided me with a sponsor who cares for most of my schooling needs.

Rohi is more than a home to me. Rohi is a special place that I believe will produce some of the most resourceful people on this planet Earth. My sincere prayer is that God will continue showering His blessings on our sponsors and every person that helps support this wonderful organization. Most of my fellow students are orphans and due to the support of people in the United States, we have a hope for the future.