It was just after midnight on Sunday morning. I was on my way home when I was approached by two men as I cut through shadows of Dupont Circle. As I got near the fountain, a man approached me and said that his friend wanted to talk to me. His friend, Josh, invited me to join them in a threesome! Oh my God.
They seemed harmless, but my pulse quickened nonetheless and I kept walking toward a more lit area. The two men pursued me, cornering me at the far end. I tried to change the subject and told them about my project and offered them the $10. They weren’t interested in the ten spot so I said goodbye and quickly headed home. Never a dull moment living in Dupont!
The next morning I got up early and headed over to the Dupont Farmers Market. I weaved in and out of the various vendor stalls, the smell of lavender and coffee hit my nose, causing me to turn my head, searching for the origin of this delightful treat. I kept my eyes open for my $10 recipient too, although nobody seemed right.
I left the market and just as I crossed the street I saw David selling the Street Sense newspaper on the corner of Q and Connecticut.
Originally from Western Kenya near Lake Victoria, David came to the United States in 1997. He was working in banking at the time and thought that Delaware would be a good place to learn about corporations since most companies are incorporated in the “First State.” He later moved to DC in 2000.
At first he stayed with a professor friend here in DC while he studied at Strayer University. He hoped to eventually become a doctor. “I like medicine a lot. I even used to volunteer at George Washington Hospital,” he said with a pronounced British accent. He went on to talk about genetics. “They are the key to living longer, eliminating disease, and improving intelligence.” In five years he hopes to be a medical researcher.
Like many Street Sense vendors, David is homeless. However, unlike many of the other homeless that I have met, he chooses to sleep in shelters. He currently stays at the Mitch Snyder shelter at 2nd and D. Mitch Snyder was a homeless advocate who was the subject of a 1986 made-for-television movie starring Martin Sheen. After nine years of homelessness, David says that shelters in DC are improving. “There’s been a lot of changes that started in 2004, like installation of air conditioning, spraying for bugs, and improved services.”
More than a decade has passed since David left Kenya. He says that he misses the food. “A typical meal back home is broiled or roasted corn. We put lemon pepper on the corn and eat it with coffee or tea.”
One of six children and the only son, David has lost touch with most of his family. “The last time I saw my dad was 1985, my mom raised us.” He said he would like to know what happened to his father: Tom Nyamongo. “I know that he went to Harvard in the 1980s, but he had some type of government job and his life was quite secretive.” He hasn’t spoken to his mother in several years. Although he hasn’t been able to confirm this, a sister of his told him in 2001 that she had passed away.
In addition to learning more about his parents, David would like to find a cousin of his that was like a big brother to him. His name is Ben Bella Jaoko and he is in his mid-forties today according to David. “He moved to Poland in the 1980s to study. With the internet today, maybe somebody can find him,” he said, his voice grasping on to hope.
Before saying goodbye, David told me that he was going to use the $10 to buy him a nice meal consisting of some Italian sausages, some bread, and a beer. The rest, although I doubt he’ll have much left at this point, he said he’d put toward a pack of cigarettes.
Although I met David at Connecticut and Q, he says that he is usually at 17th and K if you would like to stop by and say hello.
UPDATE 10/04/2011: Since my initial encounter with David, the most incredible thing has happened. Someone who was going to a job interview at a company in Poland Googled the hiring manager for the job to learn a little more about him – something we all do today, right? The hiring manager’s name was Ben Bella Jaoko!
Well, would you believe this guy found my post about David and at the end of the interview asked Ben if he knew that he had a cousin in the U.S. who was looking for him. Completely shocked, Ben wasted no time contacting me and we connected by phone and I put him and David in contact.
From that moment on Ben worked tirelessly to make arrangements for David to get back to Kenya to be reunited with his family.
This morning as I sat working away at my kitchen table, I got a phone call from Ben. I didn’t immediately recognize the voice, but when I heard David’s name mentioned I connected the dots. “I’ve managed to raise enough money to purchase the airfare for David to come back to Kenya,” he shared. He explained to me the rest of the details and asked for my help to take him to the airport, help pay for luggage, and get him some clothes and other incidentals for the trip to Nairobi. If you would like to help us reunite David with his family you can donate $10 by clicking HERE or the yellow DONATE button on the top right side of this page.
We hope to have everything completed for David to depart by the end of the month. With your help, we can make that happen!
I hung up the phone and sat for a moment in silence in my apartment. All because of a simple blog post that I made a little over a year ago, David is about to leave the streets of Washington and be reunited with his family. This is what it’s all about!
UPDATE 11/15/2011: David will be flying home to Kenya on Tuesday, November 22nd. He has been away for nearly 15 years. Thanks to so many of you who have offered to help support these efforts. I have organized a going away party for David on Monday evening at One Lounge (1606 20th Street, NW – Dupont) in DC from 5:30-8:00pm. Please stop by and meet David before he embarks on this exciting new stage of his life. We will also be accepting donations if you would like to contribute to covering some of the costs associated with getting David back home. I hope to see you next Monday!!
i love how your posts continually make me think about folks that i would otherwise walk right by. thank you for the daily reminder that we’re all so much the same.
and i want to know where david’s gonna get italian sausages, bread, a beer and cigarettes for $10. I must be shopping at the wrong stores 🙂
Very interesting guy. So many are looking for missing friends and family members-where does everyone go?
I need to contact David. I think I can help.
Hi Ben, I will email you with more details. -Reed
this is the first time i read this.David is my big brother. i would love to see him come home but i do not have the finances to pay his ticket.anyone who can help we would highly appreciate.
Oh my goodness….It is so good to hear from you Hellen! Have you been able to contact David by email? I will send you a separate email and will connect you guys. It’s a small world that you have found this post!!! You made my day today! -Reed
Beautiful! Thank you for your example and for the update.
I tried using the link to Paypal – four times – and got a “Sorry” message that told me to try again.
Many blessings to you and to David! How exciting!
Thanks Carol. This is really exciting.
As for the link, if you were clicking on the DONATE link within the text of the article, that does seem to have a problem and I am trying to find a resolution to that. In the meantime I have removed that and you can use the yellow DONATE button on the top right side of the page. I just tried that and it is working fine 🙂
Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Reed
Have read they article about David and l hope am right he may be my step cousin ad for years have died to meet his firmly that no one talks about course no one knew please tell him to get in tech my ,# no is [removed] am in Kenya and l leave in Nairobi u don’t know how happy l am
Cliff, great to hear from you! I have passed your message along to David and hopefully he will be in touch with you. He is living in Kenya now and he and I stay in touch via Facebook.Thanks for your message…all the best to you!
Hi Mr, Reed have been looking forward for an update plz if u done mind plz help Me with David’s faceebook adrees .
Cliff, sorry, I thought David had called you…I sent him your number. I will send you a direct message with his number – he said he’s looking forward to speaking with you. Take care and let me know if there is anything else I can do.