Dear Michelle: a letter from grade three

Esther Sidi wrote to her sponsor in April, in blue ballpoint, on a single ruled page. This is that page, and everything she chose to say.

If you sponsor a child at Kenya Kids, this is what arrives. One page, the child’s own handwriting, the office stamp at the bottom, and the kind of news no report would ever carry: Madam Patience, Fatuma, and a twin brother called Gift.

Esther’s letter, written on 13 April 2026 and stamped at the TACEP office in Kaloleni before it was sent on.

What she wrote

Dear Michelle Cuttler,

How are you? I hope you are fine. I am fine too. I am happy to learn that you have choosen to spensor my education. Thank you so much.

I am in grade three. My favorite subjects are maths, English and environmen[t]. My class teacher is called Madam Patience. My best friend is called Fatuma.

I have a twin brother. He is called Gift. We are in the same grade. Bye.

Yours friendly,
Esther Sidi

Small news, carefully chosen

Esther had about twelve lines of ruled paper and she spent them on the things she thought her sponsor would want to know. Not the roof, not the fees, not anything an adult would put in a report. She led with a greeting, thanked Michelle for choosing her, and then got straight to the part that mattered: she is in grade three, she likes maths and English, her teacher is Madam Patience, her best friend is Fatuma.

Then the line she saved for last. She has a twin brother. He is called Gift. They are in the same grade.

It is a small thing to learn about someone. It is also the difference between funding a place at a school and knowing a child who sits in it.

What a sponsor’s letter actually looks like

Letters from our children are handwritten in class, on our own letterhead, and checked and stamped at the office in Kaloleni before they travel. They arrive looking exactly like this one:

• One or more pages, in the child’s own hand, with their own spelling.
• The details filled in at the top — name, school, grade, sponsor.
• A date and the office stamp, so you know when it was written and where it came from.
• Whatever the child decided was worth telling you.

If you would like one of these

There are children in Kaloleni still waiting to be matched, and a blank sponsor line at the top of a page like this one. If you would like your name written on the next letter, get in touch with Kenya Kids at offerhopethruedu@aol.com and we will introduce you.