Former Mali Mali Hawker Shares How He Won US Green Card, Relocated Abroad: "God Helped Me"
- From hawking thermos flasks on Kenya’s streets to starting afresh in the United States, Kijana ya Mathermos’s journey is nothing short of miraculous
- He won the US Green Card lottery at a time when his business had collapsed, and money for relocation seemed impossible to raise
- Today, he says his story is proof that faith and perseverance can open doors where none seem to exist
For many years, he was known as Kijana ya Mathermos, the young man who made a living hawking thermos flasks and household items on the streets of Kenya.
Source: UGC
Life was tough, but he carried his nickname with pride, never imagining that one day he would trade the noisy streets for a new beginning thousands of miles away in the United States.
How prayer held hawker through Green Card application
In a TikTok video by Paxson Chege, the former hawker disclosed that his story took an unexpected turn when he applied for the US Green Card lottery.
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At the time, he barely understood the process and sent in his application half-heartedly. Months later, an email dropped into his inbox with life-changing news: he had been selected.
Excitement quickly gave way to despair as his business was collapsing, and he did not have the money required for visa processing and relocation.
With nowhere else to turn, he called his grandmother. She listened, then did what she knew best: she prayed.
Struggles hawker faced with Green Card
His relatives tried to raise money by selling property, but no one was willing to buy.
In desperation, he organised a fundraiser, scraping together KSh 70,000, far below the KSh 121,000 needed.
Still, he decided to take a leap of faith and walked into the US Embassy with less money than required. That day, what he believed was divine intervention happened.
“Whoever had my file took it to the interviewer instead of rescheduling me,” he recalled.
Seated before the consular officer, he was asked why he wanted to go to the US. His answer was simple: he dreamed of joining the military.
Hawker seeks to inspire others
Against all odds, he was granted the Green Card. With relief flooding in, he went back home and sold all his household belongings to prepare for relocation.
In a twist of fate, the very money that had seemed impossible to raise earlier came easily from family members once his visa was approved.
Today, the former hawker is living his American dream. But he carries with him not just the memory of struggle, but also the lesson of faith.
“My story is to encourage those who doubt,” he said softly. “God exists.”
Source: TikTok
US Green Card Application procedures
The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery is usually run from early October to November, with up to 55,000 openings available to immigrants from countries with historically low immigration rates.
Applicants must either have a high school education or equivalent or two years of work experience in a job requiring at least two years of training.
Applications are usually submitted online, after which successful entrants receive a confirmation notice with a unique confirmation number to track their status.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
