LITTLE LAMBS, BIG HOPE - STEPHEN

Stephen, whom we always call Steve, was born on 13th January 2007 to Alice Thithi and Maina. He is the second born in a family of five children. He was born in Githurai, Nairobi County. From what he can remember, they were living with his aunt. He would later learn that this was because, when he was still an infant, his father was very abusive to their mother and had threatened to kill the children. They were rescued by their aunt, who is his mother’s sister.

 While still very young (he cannot remember the exact year), they relocated to Nakuru after his mother found a job in Nakuru town. Their grandmother was living in a nearby village, so the children stayed with her while their mother worked in town and visited them on weekends. Steve joined Mahiga Primary School in the preschool unit in 2012 and later proceeded to Grade One in 2014.

In 2015, when he was in Grade Two, his mother remarried and the family moved to their stepfather’s home in a different village called Wanyororo, still in Nakuru County. He joined Muguathi Primary School, continuing in Grade Two. In 2016, for reasons unknown to him, they moved again from Wanyororo to Magina, a village near Kijabe, where they rented a one-room house. They had only the mattresses they carried with them, having sold all their other possessions to raise bus fare. Later, their landlord assisted them with a couch.

This was a very hard time for the family. They often survived on one meal a day, as neither parent had a steady income. Steve was enrolled at Kago Primary School in Grade Three, but staying in school was a struggle due to lack of school fees. His stepfather later secured a day labour job in Gichiengo, another village near Kijabe, and the family moved there. Unfortunately, the job did not last long, and once again Steve was out of school due to lack of fees. By this time, he was in Grade Four. It was during this period that Winfred, our director at Green Pastures Child Development Centre, was introduced to the family and became aware of their struggles.

In 2018, when Little Lambs opened an opportunity to admit older children, Steve automatically qualified and was enrolled. He transferred to Kiambogo Primary School and joined Grade Five. In 2022, he sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and joined Riabai High School the same year. In 2025, he sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with one clear goal in mind: to gain skills in automotive mechanics.

Today, Steve is pursuing that goal. He has joined our team at Kijabe Practical Garage, where he is learning all he can as he prepares to sit for the government exams in automobile mechanics. He is very excited and deeply grateful to God for the ministry of Little Lambs and the impact it has had on his life.