Growing up in a village in northern Kenya, David Lotilem never dreamed that a bright future lay ahead of him.

David's Childhood
As a child, David lived in chronic poverty with his farming family of eight. Like countless others in the district, they endured the hardships of geographic isolation and drought, struggling to grow food in the hot and dusty soil.

David was often ill as a child and developed trachoma, a bacterial infection of the eyes caused by washing in unclean water. At age 10, the infection had progressed to such an extent that David could barely see. His condition forced him to drop out of school with only a primary education.

Child Sponsorship
Shortly after David's 11th birthday, Sylvia Peecock and her late husband, Frank, of Victoria, B.C., became David's child sponsors through World Vision. Sponsorship paid for David to travel to Nairobi, Kenya's capital, where he underwent treatment for trachoma. His sight successfully restored, David returned to school and flourished as a student.

The Gift of a Career
In 1999, the Peecocks decided to further invest in David's future. They knew he dreamed of becoming a driver. But the tuition for the three-month driving course in Nairobi—13,000 Kenyan shillings ($205)—was beyond his reach. The Peecocks made a special arrangement and provided the needed funds. The same year that David graduated from driving school, World Vision hired him as a driver.

Today, he ferries staff and visitors throughout Turkana District, the same place where he himself was a sponsored child. His salary enables him to support his wife, Alice, and their baby son, Noah. David has also been able to provide some financial assistance to his parents, as well as his sister and her children.

David says that without child sponsorship "I would have spent my time roaming in the town, offering to help people carry their luggage so that I could earn a few shillings to survive. By God's grace, I've never had to do that."

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