Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.  1 John 4:19  

I have much to be thankful for.  My story with Sew Love goes back to about five years ago, when I had just completed my high school.

Graduating from high school was meant to be exciting, and it was, except that feeling was eclipsed by the one that is synonymous with suddenly being homeless. I also had a dream of going to University long before I even made it to high school, but when you do not have a home, post – high school studies were certainly not on the horizon.

I had more important things to think of like; getting a job, having a place and a family to go back to, but then all I had were my shattered dreams.

Also, growing up in a children’s home, I had been practically shut out from the rest of the world for more than ten years.  Boy, I had a lot to learn.  Navigating my new world was a real hustle and an adventure.  Of course, I lost my way.

I did not brave the cold for long because help came sooner than I anticipated.  Scratch that, I never anticipated any help.  I believed I was done.  Now that I am thinking about it, I was learning to get used to the idea that I will never join college and probably, spent those painful months thinking about the possibilities of tomorrow.  Nothing positive crossed my mind.

God never left me.  I never thought about Him, but it is evident that He was always thinking about me.  On a beautiful day in June 2014, I met my mom – Lori Lee Peters– not for the first time, but it was the very first time she learned about my plight.

Fast forward, I got a home and my dream to join University came back to life. I graduated with Bachelor of Broadcast Journalism from Multimedia University of Kenya in 2018. I have just started my first job after working as an intern for two different companies for six months each.

Now that I am putting this short version of my journey into writing, I am just realizing that most of those goals have since been achieved, it feels great and incredible, but there is also overwhelming feeling of love that has taken over my entire existence. How good is my life!

I always knew Sew Love was special but for someone who did not know what it felt like to be loved, I sort of had a difficult time trying to figure out what Sew Love offered that many never did. From the moment mom and dad walked into my life – everyday of those five years, they proved their love ran deep – a proof that Sewlove was founded on love.

It is amazing that everyday I wake up with this beautiful realization that I am loved deeply and there is nothing about me that can take that away. I don’t deserve anything that I have today; not the affection, grace, compassion and kindness and certainly not the support.

I am not trying to write a glowing tribute of the Sew Love family.  This is just me is me laying down what it feels like to be a member of this God – given family and there is nothing that beats that feeling.

This experience is just pushing me to be more in the world; that through my unique story I can inspire generations. I do not know how they did it, but I am who I am today because someone cared enough to take a chance with me. Sew Love changed everything, and you would agree that it is because love changes everything!

Catherine Achieng’