AMBOSELI REGION

Thanks to a donation from the employees of a Dutch company, we were able to support 3 high school students during 1 year in the Amboseli region.
We were welcomed very warmly and enthusiastic by the members of their communities. Singing, dancing, and offering tea with lots of sugar and milk. We now know how to order tea without sugar and milk in Maasai (shai oltu rungi ol tupia). Our 3 students Nkodidio, Jackline and Leonard, and their parents, expressed their intensive gratefulness to us for the sponsorship.

LEONARD

Leonard is a nice, openhearted boy from Namelok. His mother, Mrs. Mutui, is one of the leading ladies in their community.

The women in Namelok are united in a Community Based Organisation. Together they manage a large Community Garden. Thanks to their community water pump and their good cooperation, the harvest is good. The vegetables they grow are for their own use and for sale at the market when the harvest is big enough.

Leonard has now completed class 2 of Kitengela Boys High School and still has 2 years until his final exams.

JACKLINE

Jackline also lives in Namelok and is a neighbour girl of Leonard. She is a lovely, slightly shy girl. Jackline is very happy with her sponsorship.

She has completed class 3 at Namelok Secondary School.
We hope she will finish her final year (class 4) with good grades, as this will be the basis for deciding which further education she will be admitted to.

NKODIDIO

Nkodidio is a cheerful, enthusiastic boy with proud parents. He would like to become a journalist.

He has completed class 2 of Enkii Boys High School, so Nkodidio still has 2 years to go until his final exams.

KAJIADO REGION

Our next destinations were Kajiado and the villages where our students Faith and Purity live, Tikoshi and Orpirikata.

We received a very warm welcome in both villages and slept in their homes.

It is incredible what an energy these girls awakened in their communities! This is what the effect of education can be, just by sponsoring 1 or 2 student from a community!

During this visit, we had the opportunity to attend a ceremony where a large group of boys (numbers were unclear, approximately 1000, ages around 10-20 years old) were being prepared for circumcision. It was unique to be part of this event. We were the only outsiders present, as tourists never visit this area.

We spent a lot of time with Faith and Purity, visiting the Community Gardens they have set up with their Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and learning a lot about how they organize these projects and the challenges they face.

Faith completed her Bachelor Communication and Public Relations at St. Pauls University Kenya in December 2023. Beside establishing their CBO and the Community Gardens in Tikoshi, she was also active in other projects such as the Strong Maasai Ladies Association (SMALA) during her studies. SMALA provides awareness education for Maasai girls and arranges sanitary pads for them so they can go to school when they have their periods.

Purity completed her Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Studies at Kenyatta University Nairobi in 2022 and now works as a teacher in the local primary school.

She has also founded the CBO and Community Gardens in Orpirikata and organises discussion groups for teenage girls.

GRACE

Grace was 15 years old at the time of our visit, and was in her final year of Ilbissil Boarding Primary School.Many children in Kenya cannot start primary school until their parents have enough money. And moving on to the next year of their studies also depends on their parents’ income each and every year. Because of this, and the corona-lockdowns, many children are still in primary school at a relatively late age.

Grace passed her final test in primary school and has now started at Olooseos Girls Secondary School.

We had a nice chat with Grace about her family, her life at school and her dreams for the future. She is motivated to work hard and she would like to become a nurse, preferably in a big hospital in Nairobi.

AGNES

Agnes has faced quite a few obstacles during her studies, Bachelor of Commerce, Universiteit van Nairobi, due to illness, birth of her children, corona lockdowns, and delays in publishing results at the university.

We were happy that we were able to talk to her face-to-face to sort everything out, to hear what her wishes are and to look for solutions.

She is committed to continuing her studies. But she has chosen to study online at Mount Kenya University because she now has a job at the County of Kajiado. The online classes are in the evening and according to her, it is easy to combine the lessons with her job.

REGION NAROK AND NAIROBI

During the final part of our journey, we visited all of our bachelor students at their university, and if possible, in their student accommodations.

ESTHER NAINI (REGION NAROK)

Esther completed her Bachelor of Arts in Community Development at Daystar University in late 2022. We met her in Tepesua Cultural Eco Camp/Village. This is where she, after graduating, assisted in the projects of Hellen Nkuraiya.

We had a very open-hearted conversation with Esther. Her great desire was to do a master’s degree, preferably abroad.

A few weeks later, she received the message that she had been selected for a scholarship at Hebrew University of Jersulamen, Glocal Master in International Development . She was super happy!

She was only one week in Jerusalem when the war in Gaza began. Sirens in the night, all classes online, and no one was allowed to leave campus.

By now, despite the war, life there has more or less returned to normal. Lectures are available face to face as usual, the first exams are finished and Esther is enjoying this great opportunity.

JECINTA

We met Jecinta at her faculty (Law) at University of Nairobi. We had a limited tour on campus, as not everything was open yet because the semester would only start in October.

During our conversation, it became clear that Law study was not Jecinta’s first choice. She actually wanted to become a doctor. But in Kenya, students are assigned a study/university based on their profile and final exam results from high school. It is not easy to choose another study or university, and the cost of choosing a different one is probably high.

Jecinta has accepted the fact that she will not become a doctor and is also very interested in Law.

Jecinta’s results are very good and she is ambitious. She would like to do an additional course and states that she can easily handle the extra workload.

TECKLER

We sponsored Teckler for her Bachelor of Commerce studies at Jomo Kenya University of Agriculture and Technology {JKUAT}.

We first visited Teckler at her home. She lives with her baby Eliana, her sister (who takes care of Eliana when she attends college), and her mother in a small apartment in a very poor part of Nairobi. We had an extensive conversation with them about their life challenges.

Afterward, we took a matatu (a small crowded local bus) to the university for a brief tour. Everything looks fine, well-organized, with plenty of study spaces for students who don’t have space or peace at home to study.

Teckler has now completed her studies and hopes for a job or a scholarship for a master’s degree abroad.

AJOHN

We sponsored Ajohn years ago when he was studying Hospitality Management. After finishing his studies, we kept in touch and followed his search for work and for his passion. Since then, he has discovered his creative talents and was able to design and paint his first mural in the fancy restaurant/hotel where he works as a waiter.

That is where we visited him. We had a delicious meal in the restaurant. After his service, we had a nice chat in the hotel’s fancy rooftop bar.

BENSON

Benson is a happy, proud, very intelligent boy. He attends a bachelor of Law at the University of Nairobi and is taking an online bachelor’s course in procurement management at Mount Kenya University. He works hard and gets good results for both studies.

We visited the place where Benson lives. A poor neighbourhood, a small room, where they sleep, cook, study with 3 students, taking turns using a small desk. But no complaints, satisfied with the place and the situation.

MICHAEL

We visited Michael at Mount Kenya University.

Michael is in year 2 of a bachelor of nursery and is very enthusiastic about his studies, working hard and getting good results.

We were given a comprehensive tour of the subject rooms, study areas, library, hostels, sports facilities, the numerous outdoor green spaces for relaxation and we ate in the university canteen. It was interesting to get such a complete overview of his studies and life on campus.

STANDUP4TALENT FAMILY DINER

We all enjoyed the evening and we hope it will have impact in the future.