Meet Ariko

When Ariko’s mother went into labour, she climbed onto her brother’s cattle cart and the family cow pulled her to a medical centre 40km away. When they arrived at the facility, the medical staff were on strike. Ariko’s mother delivered him alone.

When mother and baby returned to her village home, only Ariko’s grandfather was waiting. His father had taken off four months before. He went in search of work at the nearby gold mines. He said he’d be back, but never returned.

Ariko’s mother struggled to cope. Depressed, she went to live with a man who was kind to her. Time moved her on. The boy lives with his grandfather. Ariko would be left alone for long stretches while his grandfather tried to provide what he could.

The turning point in Ariko’s life came in 2016 when Jessie’s House welcomed him in. Now he wakes up excited and can’t wait for the centre to open.

Nervous at first, he has made friends. He plays football, sings and is learning to read and write. More importantly, Ariko eats every day at Jessie’s House Farm, where his grandfather volunteers his gardening knowledge, almost lost from years of devastating drought.

Ariko is now a pupil at Jessie’s House Academy Infant School. He dreams of becoming a teacher.