Kimani’s story.

Sometimes donors ask themselves, “Does my small act help?” I am here as a testament to the fact that it does and it can create a rippling effect in the life of a child.

Hello, my name is Patrick Kimani Nyambura, ACE’s 2021-22 Creative Marketing and International Programs Intern. I would like to tell you about a miracle that happened to me as a child. It is my hope that in hearing my story, you might begin to believe—just like a single raindrop creates ripples on a river’s surface—that a single act of kindness from one person to another can change our world.

Chapter 1: Ngenia, Kenya

I was born in Ngenia, a village in central Kenya. My life blossomed within a welcoming, green environment that never seemed to lose its beauty. The coffee plantations, mangoes, and avocado trees made up most of the vegetation. When I climbed a mango tree in our shamba, I would always see the grinning faces of these ridges with streams and rivers winding down from them like glittery snakes. I have called this small village home despite the disappearing green color that has been as a result of drought and deforestation.

Despite the rich beauty around us, my early life in Ngenia could be described with one word: hopeless. My family did not have access to running water or electricity and, many times, we could not afford food. We lived in a farming community, surrounded by large coffee plantations where the people of Ngenia work to earn their living.

Each day when I was a child, my mum and grandmother walked several miles to the plantations, hoping to be the first workers to arrive, so they might work until late evening to earn two dollars each so our family might eat. I began picking coffee beans with them when I turned four years old.

Our faith held our family together. Our family would wake up at 3am every day for prayer. We thanked God for another day, despite the lingering hunger from the night before.

When I was of school age, my mum and grandmother insisted I get a primary education. Although I was a quick learner and did well in primary school, I questioned the point of going since most people I knew who went through primary school remained coffee bean pickers.

My mum and grandmother did not tolerate my attitude; they dreamed of a future for my sisters and me beyond harvesting coffee beans. They worked hard to purchase our school uniforms, which were purposely several sizes too big. They wanted my uniform to last because it was never certain when the next good coffee season would be or if we would have enough money to buy more uniforms. Mum and grandmother continued to send us to primary school, praying and hoping for a future for us against all odds. 

Chapter 2: Kenosha, Wisconsin

In 2007, a miracle happened. I was selected to be featured in the documentary film, A Small Act (2010), which tells the story of a little girl named Hilde Back who was sent to Sweden to escape the Holocaust. Later, Hilde became a schoolteacher, and in the 1970s sponsored a Kenyan child so that he might attend primary school in his village.

Because of Hilde’s generosity, that boy, Chris Mburu—a boy from my village—began to dream of a hope-filled future. He later applied for and received a Fulbright Scholarship to attend Harvard University, becoming a human rights lawyer who today works for the United Nations. Chris started a Kenyan charitable organization in Hilde’s name that awards scholarships to bright children who cannot afford to attend high school. As the award-winning film shows, I was awarded a high school scholarship through the Hilde Back Education Fund.

For my family, the opportunity for me to attend high school was like having spent a lifetime treading water and finally being tossed a buoy. High school changed my perspective. It converted my hopelessness to a positive mindset.

In high school I began to dream. I thought about owning a coffee plantation and giving better wages to the workers. I no longer thought of myself as a coffee bean picker; I had a new vision of an expansive future.

A few years later, my family received another miracle. By this point, the documentary had made it around film festival circles including a premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Lynda Hochschild from the United States saw the film and reached out to me through Facebook to express her interest in sponsoring me to attend college in America. Lynda’s offer sounded too good to be true, but she was persistent and helped me apply to the the University of Wisconsin—Parkside, where I was accepted for enrollment. I remember getting a visa at 4pm and flying out at 10pm the same day.

I began attending classes in September 2014. In 2015, my sponsor family experienced significant, unexpected financial hardship. It was hard not knowing whether I would be able to continue my progress in college. Fortunately, I started a GoFundMe account and was able to raise enough money for the fall semester at the University of Wisconsin.

Chapter 3: Seattle, Washington

With the help of a friend, I began an application to Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington. After going through the admissions process, I was honored to receive a full tuition presidential scholarship award. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2019 and I am currently halfway through my Masters in Business Administration program at Northwest University.

Because of the small acts of kindness from Hilde, Chris, Lynda, Northwest University,  and my family, I have experienced things I had never dreamed of at home in my tiny village. I flew in an airplane. I discovered that I love playing golf and watching falling snow. But what I value more than anything has been the gift of education because I have seen its transformative power in my life.

Not too long ago, I was just an ordinary village boy destined to live life as a coffee bean picker. That was my heritage, and that was my future. But today my horizon stretches wide, full of possibility, and I am still in awe of what each day has become for me.

As an intern at ACE, I personally relate with the work we do in Zambia through our Education programs. The life experiences of students in our FaithWorks Schools are personal for me.

I have tasted poverty, I have felt the grasp of hopelessness that could easily grip my little brother and sisters in Zambia. But when I beheld hope from strangers, through education and other  opportunities that I have had, I became confident. I became hopeful and optimistic.

On September 1, we kick off our Books and Bread campaign that will benefit thousands of children like me living in Lusaka, Zambia. Your small act  as a donor could be the key to changing our students’ perspectives and helping them to realize their potential. You could be Hilde or Chris, or Lynda in the life a child just like me.

So I ask you today, what’s your small act?

Chapter 4: Lusaka, Zambia

ACE’s Books and Bread campaign aims to raise $20,000 from September 1 to 30, 2021 that will provide a daily meal and education for 2,017 children in Lusaka, Zambia attending our FaithWorks primary schools.

A small gift of $15.63 provides a full year of lunch and education to a child who would otherwise miss out on school due to social exclusion, material poverty, or hunger.