A picture captures more than words. Some may even think that pictures capture the blank spaces between lines of text. These pauses give us some insights into the true lives of people from diverse places.
The boy in the photograph above tells his own story in a second’s fragment. He stands between two graves. The graves of his father and mother. One lost via unfortunate circumstances. The other to suicide.
More than meets the eye
There’s more despair than meets the eye here. Some words can never be stated, in pictures or in articles. Because this boy maybe isn’t totally alone, but in all the ways that count he’s been abandoned in life.
He does have a caretaker. An uncle. He is faring better than other children who are his local peers. His abandonment reaches further than his uncle can assist. The scope of his tragedy reaches deeper than the material frame. It is written in the despair on his face. The familiarity he has, at his tender age, with death.
Mercy lost
The tragedy that this boy faces is lost possibilities. Hope and innocence was a privilege denied to this child. With the death of a parent in a place like Migwani, Kenya, a vast number of lifetime opportunities die. The hope of a stable diet dies. Education empowerment is swallowed up in the grave. Seldom does the government have the funds to support every wayward child. So, the child falls on the mercy of the World.
People help the people
As you see in this picture, there is no mercy in the secular world. It falls instead to people of the same community. People who have walked the same deserted paths. Having known the same sorrow. These are the kind of people who combine work ethic and business savvy to open Community Based Organizations. In Migwani, there is no more dedicated CBO than FirmRock.
Renewing hope
And so the rest is history. We found this boy and became his community. When he fell on the unforgiving base of human depravity, he fell nearest to us. This boy is now under the protection of FirmRock Children’s Helper. Hope renews each day because we fight for him.
We will never stop fighting for him. To have food, shelter, clothing. His basic human dignity. Then for his mind’s wellness and his education. These are the things that set us apart. We are as human as he is. There is no material gain being sought here. Not for the teachers and staff. This mission is greater than all of us. It’s how we give back the goodwill we were given.
With the help of ministers like our actively involved Director Noah David, we take this day by day. Soon we will be restoring hope to all of Kenya. You can help us make that happen.
Your donation=one less grave
When you donate money, food, or clothes, you even the odds for the boy in this picture. The shadow of death passes him over for one more year. We have the power to sustain him as we work toward a fully operational economic plan for our CBO. Your donation can subtract one grave from our cemetery every year.
Holding the power of life and death in your hand is immense. Consider this carefully. One day, you may face a situation where your life also hangs in the balance. We know that there is no mercy in the World. Only in people. Only in people who have known the cruelty of the secular system weighed against the kindness of concerned strangers.
Become our community
When you donate to FirmRock, you are not a stranger anymore. You become part of our community. Because you have helped us in our time of need we will help you in yours. This is how we will make the World a better place. There may be no mercy as of yet. The more we sow of goodwill the more we shall reap peace.
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