Samson, age 15, was rescued from the streets of Kenya last month. Samson hopes to return to his family, finish school and become a soldier one day.

Samson's story

It was a typical Sunday afternoon. Samson borrowed his father's bicycle, and headed to his family's small plot of land, where he was spent the next several hours planting corn. When he finished, Samson returned to the edge of the field, where he had left the bicycle leaning against a fence.

But the bicycle was gone. Exhausted, and afraid of punishment, Samson made a quick decision to run. He spent the next two days walking to the next town. When he arrived, he convinced a bus driver to take him further.

He soon arrived in Naivasha, almost 200 miles from his home, where he fell in with a group of street boys. They spent their days collecting plastics to sell and running from the police. For the first time, Samson slept on the streets. He was chased and beaten by police and shop owners. He never got enough to eat--most nights he slept hungry. And because he arrived during rainy season, the ground was always wet and cold. There were nights he could't sleep at all.

But this was his new life--after running away, how could he cope with the shame of returning?

Then, one day, he met a social worker from Naivasha Children's Shelter. Isaiah told him about Shelter, where he could sleep in a warm bed, and have enough food. Shelter staff would help him return home, ask forgiveness from his father and enroll in school again.

Last month, Samson spent his last night on the street.

When he arrived at Shelter, he was overwhelmed with happiness.
"Shelter is a good place. Here, I never sleep hungry, and no one beats me."

Later this year, Samson hopes to return home, re-enroll in seventh grade and work hard to be able to replace his father's bicycle.

"I thank God for the Shelter for coming into my rescue. I promise to take the chance seriously for the sake of my future."

Hundreds of thousands of boys are still sleeping on the streets tonight. If you would like to help boys like Samson get off the streets and have a second chance at life, would you consider a monthly donation to Friends of Naivasha Children's Shelter? Every little bit helps.