Begging is quite a common thing to see on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. Low social classes in this country often have nothing else to do but beg in order to survive. While some kids are lucky enough to have parents that would ensure them a safe home and elementary education, others just don’t have a lot of choices.
While there is always skepticism behind beggars and some suspiciousness about their ethics, but children that beg are asking you for money for no fault for their own. This young boy called John Thou is one of them and he made headlines worldwide for having such a loving, fragile heart.
1. Yet Another Child Beggar
John Thou could seem like just another child beggar from the city of Nairobi in Kenya. But there’s something that this young boy did that touched everybody’s hearts.
What happened when he saw Gladys Kamande, proved that Thou has a heart of gold. His reaction was so touching that it made headlines for all the right reasons.
2. A Tragic Life
This little boy has had a very tragic life since his mom passed away when he was really young. But this wasn’t everything that happened to Thou. After the death of his mom, Thou stayed with his abusive father.
But this little boy couldn’t endure the hard time he had with his dad anymore, and decided to do something not everyone could do. He ran away to the streets and put his life at a big risk.
3. Homeless Children
Unfortunately Kenya has a large number of child beggars. What makes the situation of these kids even worse, is that they’re often assumed to be criminals, rather than unfortunate kids that were forced to be homeless through no fault of their own.
The story of how Thou met a woman named Gladys Kamande might be helpful in changing the perception of homeless people in Kenya. No one expected what this boy did.
4. An Unusual Meeting
Thou was having just another regular day begging on the streets of Nairobi when this touching meeting happened. It was late 2016. He approached the car of Kamande, and he didn’t know that this meeting was going to make such big news afterward.
At first the boy noticed something unusual about Kamande’s appearance. The women seemed to be hooked up to a huge machine complete with tubes. He realized that this woman wasn’t healthy and he couldn’t help but start talking to her.
5. A Chat With Kamande
Thou asked Kamande about the tubes and he got an answer he wasn’t ready to hear. Kamande told him that the tubes were connected to an oxygen tank that made it possible for her to breathe.
She explained to him that her lungs stopped functioning properly and that the only way she could breathe now was with the help of this equipment she needed to carry at all times.
6. The Hard Plight
Although no one could get angry with Kamande because of the life he was forced to live: being homeless and having to beg on the streets, this boy still had a lot of empathy inside of his young heart.
When he heard about Kamande’s trouble he was deeply moved. The fact that there are people such as Kamande who need the assistance of machines just so they can breathe properly, tore his little heart apart.
7. Overwhelming Reality
Thou was so overwhelmed by her story that he couldn’t help but burst into tears. This young boy’s heart was just too good and he couldn’t imagine the pain Kamande was living with.
He reached into his pocket and offered Kamande everything he had collected that day while not being able to dry his cheeks. Thou believed this woman needed the money more than he did, and he thought that his own problems just could never be compared to what Kamande had to live with.
8. A Careful Thought
Not only did Kamande give her everything he had managed to collect on the streets that day, but he also suggested that he wanted to help her with housework.
It seemed that the boy was aware of how much a struggle Kamande’s life might have been. And indeed, the woman had had quite a lot of problems. She had this oxygen breathing equipment for over than half a decade due to suffering from a stomach condition.
9. Kamande’s Sad Story
Not only did this woman had to carry oxygen tanks all her life, but she also had to endure 12 operations. One of them led her to even lose her sight.
As if this wasn’t enough, this poor woman’s health issues started as a result of assaults by an abusive husband. It seemed that Thou and Kamande had something in common, a tragic life story.
10. Photograph of The Two
One passenger spotted the emotional encounter between the two and was so moved by it that he had to snap a photo of them. He posted the image on social media, describing the situation he testified.
The photo touched the hearts of many people and as a result, the shot began to attract a lot of attention online. In fact, after some time it even went viral.
11. After The Meeting
After the photo went viral, a lot of people wanted to learn more about their lives. The question that most people asked was what had happened to them now?
Soon enough, people wanted to learn more about the two individuals in the photos and what had happened between them. What they found out at first was that after their meeting, Kamande took Thou to a children’s home and vowed to him that she’d return once her recovery was complete.
12. Fundraising Campaign
Before the two met, Kamande was in the car with some of her friends as part of a fundraising campaign. Her family and friends were doing their best to collect the $70,000 that she needed for a lung-reconstruction operation that might change her life.
She didn’t know that the meeting with Thou will now help her change her life for good. It all occurred at the right moment when she needed some more publicity in order to collect the money she needed.
13. Sad Past
Not only did Kamande had to live with such a difficult condition, being tied to the equipment and tubes, but she also suffered a lot in her marriage. Her husband constantly assaulted her that lead to several miscarriages this woman suffered from.
After what she’s been through, seeing the young boy having such an emotional reaction to her story, she knew what she had to do. She wanted to take Thou under her wing. This emotional encounter will soon end up changing both of their lives.
14. Senator Activation
After seeing Kamande and Thou’s story, Nairobi’s senator called Mike Sonko felt he needed to help. In order to do so, he used his official Facebook page and ask local citizens to donate money to Kamande’s cause.
Sonko included detailed instructions in order to explain how people can give funds. It turned out that the passenger that shot the photo of the two, had a big role in helping the lives of these two.
15. Funds Collected
The story about the two spread so quickly that soon, enough money was donated for Kamande. She could finally afford flying to India where she would undergo surgery on her lungs. This surgery could help her lead a normal life.
People gave $80,000 which was more than she needed. But hopefully, the additional money people donated will allow Kamande to lead a more comfortable life in the future.
16. Thou’s Big Heart
But if it weren’t for Thou’s emotional reaction, none of this would have happened to Kamande. Simply by having empathy and reacting in the most human way ever, he changed Kamande’s life. It turned out that the money he wanted to give her that day, ended up collecting the needed $70,000.
The photo that spread across social media attracted plenty of sympathy and concern for Thou, too. “What a big heart this precious boy has!” wrote one user on Twitter in response to his and Kamande’s encounter.
17. The Luck He Needed
Luckily, this story won’t only change the destiny of Kamande, but also of the young boy too. Nissy Wambugu saw the story of the two, and after it, she decided to find the young boy and adopt him .
She did her best in order to track him down, and soon she did. Ever since she found him, Wambugu has provided Thou with a loving home and the opportunity to receive a school education.
18. A Fortunate Turn Of Events
Thou didn’t need the money he was collecting for so long. So, he decided to donate it to someone else in need. He didn’t have anything to worry about anymore.
The loving boy finally found a loving mother and has now a seemingly bright future. Hopefully, he will never need to beg for money on the streets of Nairobi ever again.
19. The Power Of Compassion
Thou and Kamande’s story might help in changing people’s perception of homeless people in Nairobi. But that’s not all this touching meeting has thought us.
It showed us that if we approach life with empathy and compassion, we will get back much much more. Sharing is caring, and the fact that a homeless boy was ready to share all he had with a complete stranger just to make her feel better, moved so many people. Everyone was reminded that they had a duty to act. If this boy could, why in the world wouldn’t they?
Source:celebspulse.com
