All he needed was friends - and a pair of socks!

A lovely German couple holidaying in Watamu, came across a young boy on the beach. 

Every evening Elke and Ruediger saw Emmanuel collecting plastic bottles which would be sold to recyclers to help his struggling family.

They befriended the child, bought him a bag to make carrying the bottles easier and asked him if there was anything he would like.

His answer was simply: A pair of socks. 

His humility touched their hearts and as they got to know him better they also met his family and decided, after returning home to Germany, to help him further by supporting his education

But where? 

After extensive research they discovered that Happy House School was regarded as the best in the area and contacted Mama Sue to talk about the possibility of Emmanuel joining its roll.

She met with Emmanuel and his father and it was arranged for the boy to become a student at Happy House. 

Now Elke and Ruediger have returned to Watamu and are delighted to see Happy House for themselves and to see how well Emmanuel is doing there. If Emmanuel works hard in school, their kindness will change his life forever. 

The opportunity they are giving him to rise above poverty is something you cannot put a price on.