There is life besides losing my parents.

Victor, a beneficiary of Mercy Home, recounts his life journey, highlighting the significant impact of the home’s support, education, and moral guidance. He expresses gratitude to his sponsors, Mum Angela and Mum Consolate, for their unwavering support and guidance throughout his life. Victor shares his academic achievements, including pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting, and his eventual employment as an accountant, emphasising the role of Mercy Home and his sponsors in his success.

I am Victor Ochieng, a beneficiary of Mercy Home. 

Just to begin with, living all my entire life at Mercy Home has been of great importance, first knowing about God who has been my gear in life all these years. I learnt that there is life besides losing my parents at an early age of 3 years. At Mercy I have been glad to receive education which is the main pillar in life. The education I have achieved is of great value to me, as now I can present my education papers. 

The moral education from Mercy has always enabled me to fit in every life situation and every group of people I meet in everyday life. The care I have received has always impacted a positive thinking in me towards giving assistance to people I meet in life. I have always been proud of the Orphanage as all members of the staff are directed to achieving one goal. This has always acted as a reference point when going about issues of class work and always hoped of giving back because of having such a wonderful home. 

I will appreciate the effort of Mum Angela Foulkes who has always stood with me all along in life and make me someone in life. I will also recognise Mum Consolate who has always corrected me and made sure I'm up to my best and the type of person she wants me to be, as she understands the society more than I do. All congratulations to Peter Muga, and the entire staff for moral advice and corrections received from all. Thanks to God for bringing me to Mercy and meeting wonderful people.

Sponsoring, reflections by Angie and Andrew Foulkes     

We began writing to Victor when he was 7 and he was in Standard 1. The common thread in his letters were how he loved sport and athletics (especially soccer and tennis), and he was always happy to be in a place with lots of other children that loved Jesus, prayed and worshipped together. 

Other things Victor wrote about were his love of collecting stamps, milking the orphanage's cow, drawing, spending time in the garden and how they grew many things  e.g. capsicum, eggplant, carrots, kale, bananas, beans, maize, tomatoes, spring onions, potatoes, ground nuts also the fruit trees like avocado, mango, paw paw and guava. He wrote how he always tried his best and achieved good marks, and he was mostly near or at the top of his class. When he was 10, he began writing how he dreamed of being a doctor. Although that has changed and he is now pursuing accountancy, I believe that the teaching of goal setting was an important part in his upbringing.

Regarding our long sponsor experience, it has been mostly positive, especially knowing Victor now has a job in Accountancy.  Thank you A.A.I. for giving us the honour and opportunity to be part of this.

Reflections, Victor the schoolboy by Consolate Aluoch Muga. DEC 2018

When Victor was brought to Mercy Home, we were wondering how we were going to live with a ‘man’ in the house, but we grew to love the only boy. He never harassed any girl. He was very responsible and would report anything which he found was not done in the right way. We used to call him ‘lawyer’.

While in Primary School, he performed in school music, soccer, volleyball and scouting. 

When he joined High School, he went to the best school in the area and was he was thankful for this for we thought that he would be home-sick in a boarding school far away.

At High School he was rated the smartest boy and as a board member I was blessed to present him a gift on the school academic day.

Victor was quite loving, and he loved babies. We had a baby called Esther, and during holidays Victor would visit his grandmother but insisted that he come back to play with baby 

Esther. One day I saw him coming from his grandmother’s and his first question was to ask where the baby was. He played with the baby and then gave a new date when he was coming back again. 

Further reflections by Victor

After my attachment ended in May 2019, I had to face the real-life situations as they come along. Outside Mercy vicinity where directions were being shown, now I am left to make decisions for the future. Trying to meet up with people who had earlier promised some job opportunities didn’t bare any fruit. I decided to try and invest my energy in agriculture where I could earn a little cash for personal use.

Later in 2019 in early October a calamity hit our home, my only guardian who has been my decision approver was called by God leaving another gap in my life again. All plans coming to a halt as previously she had plans to help me go past Diploma Education though a friend who could sponsor my education with an exchange with land where he could invest. After all the program for the burial ended, I was left in a home where I should protect my hard work in the farm at the same time continue with my studies beyond Diploma.

The nearest university was 30km away and much would be required in terms of transport to facilitate the same. This was when I decided to start my family with a young lady, Sella who had finished school and was committed to start a new life. I left Sella at home from February of 2020 and joined Rongo University where I enrolled to pursue Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Option).

During this period, I could come back home on weekends plus any other day when there were no classes. Fortunately, corona pandemic hit the country after my first month of studies and we had to stay away from school until late that year when I sat for my first semester exams. During that period, we were blessed with a daughter who could keep Sella company when I went back to school from January 2021 to 2024.

Having the knowledge of accounting in mind I had to work my ways out and even combine two semesters which required eight months of learning within four months and through the help of God I passed the exam well as my tuition fee was always available from the friend who bought the parcels of land for my school tuition fee. Though at a very low rates which an acre could not fully generate enough cash. It forced me to go an extra mile and add him some more parcel and fully sponsor my entire university tuition fee.

Come end of April 2023 I was through with course tuition studies and went for an attachment in one of the government offices as a practicing accountant. After three months of practice I was later confirmed to have satisfied the Board of Examiners and given the authority to go out in search of work with a certificate supporting my study as an accountant. I obtained Second Class Degree Honours, lower division, in accounting with the only current gap remaining to be fully a certified accountant, was the professional course for the Certified Public Accountant of Kenya.

Having qualified to be an accountant another setback arose, getting an opportunity to practice and work as an accountant. Better part of 2023 and early part of 2025 was full of anxiety with lots of unanswered questions, majorly addressing where I will make my move and start reaping many years of book work and start supporting my family. Days passed which turned to months which resulted into year.

All these unanswered questions got an answer when a local hardware owner who needed an accountant to his business and happened to be a family friend, introduced me to the world of accounting professional work. I was lucky to have gotten an opportunity to start working on my first encounter with him and took several roles within the hardware first an internal accountant, auditor, and inventory clerk. All these roles gave me a motivation on how the real work of an accountant is being handled with plans underway to do the professional course work and fully become a certified Public Accountant.

All these successes were achieved through the help of God and through Mum Connie who always kept an eye in all that I do and she had faith in me. In every step I made she always gave advice which gave out positive results. Besides mum Connie was Mum Angie who has always provided spiritual support and chipped in to provide financial support to give me a push where all my plans hit a dead rock. She would give moral support and keep in touch with every activity I do and will always put everything to God. The Family at large has been a motivation in kind and has kept me moving forward.

Thank you, African Action International family, for identifying and standing with a person in need and providing the necessary support beyond limits till I have achieved my success. 

Victor at the Uriri Hardware Store 2025