"Zechariah 4:10 says, 'Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin...' This verse is a wonderful reminder that God is always at work, even in the small things, and that He sees everything that's going on." - Griffin

Some students I met during the trip I took earlier this year were eager to share with me the side hustle they’d come up with for supplementing their education. But few students were as grateful as Griffin when I met him. He went out of his way to tell me how thankful he was to be on scholarship. Griffin had done well on his primary exams and was selected by Equity Group Foundation to have all his high school fees paid. Part of this Kenyan bank’s social responsibility is to regularly plant trees in Kenya to combat deforestation and poor air quality. During school breaks Griffin learned the basics of tree planting. He was grateful to be able to give back since Equity Bank was helping him by paying for his education.

As a young child Griffin had a nice family with a father who was a baker. Griffin’s mother worked as a tailor, but wanted to become a nurse. Initially his parents and siblings lived together in a large slum area of Nairobi but moved upcountry later where his father started a small bakery business. He lost his mom when he was only 12 years old following the birth of a younger sister and just as he was finishing high school his dad had a stroke. As he was about to take for his final exams, his father passed away. Griffin was with him and realized at that moment that he and his siblings were now orphans.

After finishing his university placement exams, Griffin knew he needed to start making money, instead of starting at a university. He stayed with an uncle and started selling fruit in the local market. In the market he met a Daystar staff member who ended up helping him apply to Daystar. Griffin was excited but uncertain about how he would afford this venture. He looked around for work but he could find nothing near campus. Finally after advice from another staff member he appealed to the Vice Chancellor. Griffin didn’t think anything would pan out from this request. But to his surprise, the VC needed someone to work as a tree planter on the Daystar Athi campus grounds. Immediately Griffin knew that God was in this venture. He already had experience and a desire to plant trees. Over the last couple of years, he has helped plant and maintain a couple acre plot of trees at Daystar's main campus in Athi River. He’s learned more about tree species and how to care for different types of trees. Griffin feels that caring for the environment is a part of good health for everyone. He’s now in his final year of nursing – doing what his mother wished she could have done.

Griffin has a gentle way about him, having lost his parents to health issues, he understands the need for nursing. The gentleness is expressed in his gratitude for getting through the nursing program. He’s so glad to have been given a chance to make a difference. He’s so thankful to have a scholarship. We are also happy to be forming this servant leader to transform Africa.

I am grateful for the opportunity given and I promise not to take it for granted. Every opportunity I enjoy now it's courtesy of sacrifice of people somewhere and I strive very hard not to let them down. – Griffin