Meet Brendan Kiptoo, a child who has overcome tragedy and is living out his God-given potential! Though he is now a joyful and confident young man, Brendan’s story has a somber beginning. In 2012, Brendan’s mother passed away due to delivery complications, leaving him and his eight siblings in the care of their unemployed uncle. Struggling to adequately provide for the children’s basic needs or school fees, Brendan's uncle eventually connected with ELI for help. This led to Brandan’s admission to our Kipkaren Children’s Home at the age of 4, a major turning-point in his story!

Despite the initial challenges he faced when entering this unfamiliar environment, Brendan quickly began to feel at home. Through intentional family time, moments of laughter, and lots of love, he began to connect with his new House Parents and siblings. His ELI forever family would always be there for him, and because of that, he continued to flourish in many ways.

In addition to thriving within the Children’s Home, Brendan has excelled both academically and athletically. As an active 7th grader, he loves learning new things about math and has found his “happy place” on the soccer field! Spiritually, Brendan has also grown in amazing ways. He knows exactly what it feels like to need help, and he has found that help in Jesus. Brendan loves participating in daily devotions with his family and often shares memory verses with his siblings, knowing that his heart and mind will always be guarded by scripture.  

We are truly in awe of how God has taken a once-orphaned child and given him a life he never thought possible. What a joy it is to see how far Brendan has come—we can’t wait to see what he does next!