Look what school has done for me so far," said Kimani, standing in a park with the Statue of Liberty behind him. "Here I am in New York."As part of his visit, Kimani traveled around Manhattan in a yellow school bus to spread his message about education for needy children. Kimani met outside the United Nations with Nane Annan, wife of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

He told her, "It would be good if all children of the world could go to school."Annan agreed, saying, "That is the goal of the United Nations."Some heads of state already were in New York for Wednesday's opening of a three-day U.N. summit.

At the U.N., Kimani delivered 100,000 paper cutout figures, or buddies, representing children unable to attend school because of poverty. The buddies were created by schoolchildren all over the world; each carries a written message of "Send my friend to school." The program, along with the Kenyan's visit, was organized by the Global Campaign for Education -- a coalition of agencies from more than 100 countries.Kimani, a father of 15, was only able to afford schooling once Kenya's government dropped fees for primary schools. His formal education began in January 2004. He came to the United States with his principal, Jane Obinchu, who also served as his interpreter."I love being in school," Kimani told reporters. "I always wanted to be a veterinary doctor, because I love animals. That is my goal." 

The man from a small Kenyan village is balding, with two hearing aids and a cane. He lives alone in a mud hut, and uses charcoal to start fires for cooking. On school days, he walks about half a mile (a kilometer) to the local elementary school. "To me, liberty means going to school and learning," he said.