Education Kenya Project #10942

Give needy kids life and hope through education

by sports for change

Give needy kids life and hope through education

Project Report | Feb 15, 2019
Give deserving girls a chance to shine

By Shiku Waithaka | Founder-Sports For Change

Pulei in her Maasai traditional clothes

Pulei is one of the four very deserving girls who joined Sports For Change this year. She lives in Mt. Suswa conservancy. A very beautiful place but also very remote. The nearest small town is 3 hours away. They have a public transport once a week, they walk most of the time to the centre and back home.

Pulei worked hard in her studies, passed with flying colours got an opportunity to join Oletipis girls, a national school in Narok, but got stuck at home due to financially difficulties. Her dad has been admitted in hospital in Nairobi for three months and none of her family members have gone to visit him. “We don’t have money and it it is too far” she said. She sat on her bed at home and told me, “I will sleep on a mattress tonight” she has been sleeping on cow skin all her life. That alone brought a big smile on her face. The things we get for granted is a blessing to others.

To get to her place we needed a strong car. We reached out to our members on facebook and got a breakthrough when pastor Benjamin from Change point Dc Karen –Kenya came through. He left his house at 5am and we left Nairobi by 6am. We went through the hills and reached the conservancy in good time. Pulei and her whole family were waiting eagerly. I could see the delight in her face when she saw us. She couldn’t really believe strangers went for her at home to rescue her and take her to school. Her father got 3 wives and 17 children. She is the first born on the second wife. This is very common in Maasai families. Hey mum gave us some tea, they get milk for free from the community, her father lost all cows and goats during famine session in 2017.

Pulei is really friendly and very easy to connect with. She took me in her mothers house, where they also sleep. A small hut with two small rooms. Spme of them sleeps on a couch like bed in the room they use as kitchen. There was no mattress neither a blanket. They use cow skin as the mattress and a leso as a blanket.

We set out to take her to school and mother accompanied us. Driving through Mt. Suswa and the conservancy was very beautiful., The views were spectacular. We got to the main highway and our car stalled. We tried everything we could but nothing worked. Time was running out. Pulei her mother and I got in a public matatu and got her in school. We left Pastor Benjamin taking care of the car.

She was admitted her dream school and was over excited. She looked different and beautiful in her new school uniform. We were happy we gave her a chance to shine regardless of her parent’s financial status.

We still had one big challenge on our shoulder. The car couldn’t move and we had to take a public matatu back to Nairobi. It was already late and getting a matatu was not easy. After waiting for more than an hour. We decided to pay the driver extra money to depart instead of waiting for more people. We got Nairobi very tired but very satisfied. What seemed like a small car problem made Pastor Benjamin follow up for the next 2 weeks. He went to Narok more 5 times. A lot of time and money was used but finally he got the car fixed. This made me realize, we need to raise more than just school fees.

We came up with a campaign and dubbed ‘Club 300. We recruiting donors who can donate 300usd a year. You can pay this monthly (25 usd) as a recurring donation This will support our work and allow us to assist MORE brighter and financially disadvantaged students. Yes! By keeping aside only one dollar a day you can be part of our big success stories'

We look forwrad to welcoming more donors.

Pulei ,her mother and step mothers

Pastor Benjamin and Pulei's family

Pulei seated on her bed

Pulei in her new school uniform

Pastor Benjamin at Mt. Suswa conservancy

Links:

Club 300 campaign site

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Nov 27, 2018
Celebrating great success

By Caro Wanjiku | Student assitant

Margaret

We are celebrating great success of one of our beneficiaries Margaret who joined university in August this year. She joined University of Embu where she is now taking a degree course in Bachelor of Education Sciences, a course that is going to take her 4 years. Margaret joined Sports For Change 3 years ago through her guardian who had heard about the organization love and support for needy and bright students.

Margaret was born and raised in Gaturi village Muranga County. She attended her primary education at Kiambugi Primary School where she did her KCPE in 2013 and scored 321 marks.With 321 marks she was able to get a place at Githunguri Girls’ high school but unfortunately the parents could not afford the fees charged by the school due to their low income. Her form one fees was paid by a well-wisher who later withdrew. This forced Margaret to drop out from the school of her dream to join a day school with scant earning resources but lower fees which the parent could afford.
Margaret mother got married when she had 4 kids. She is the firstborn. The foster father is quite interested with their mother but has no interest in educating the children. The mother is a peasant farmer who is living from hand to mouth. Being a hardworking girl, Margaret could help her mother after school with house chores after school. Margaret applied sponsorship with Sports for Change 2015 December when she was in form two. Her humility and her passion she had towards pursuing her dream career inspired us and took her to join the Sports for Change family. she was able to go back to a good boarding school Dr Kamundia Girls’ High School where she could focus more on her education. She sat for her KCSE last year (2017) and successfully completed with a mean grade of C+.

After completing her bachelor education Margaret would like to become
a teacher so that she can be able to give back to the society. We are very thankful for all you, our supporters for continued support. This young lady now has a bright future because you believed in our project and joined hands with us. We will be very greatful if you can consider gifting us this Christas season.

Margaret in green-SFC leadership camp

Margaret and Lialian, another SFC beneficiary

Margaret and other SFC beneficiares

Margaret (in a red skirt) during SFC camp

Links:

http://www.sports4change.org

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Aug 24, 2018
Reflecting my four years with sports for change

By Cythia | Beneficially

Cythia

Four years ago, I joined Sports for change program through what I consider a miracle. I passed my primary final exams with flying colours. I was admitted to a national school. My mum, a single mother of four was not working. She had an accident which left her bedridden. Stuck at home, with no hope of joining school a neighbour told me he was volunteering with an organization that support bright and needy kids. He promised to introduce me to them. Meeting the founder was the best thing that happened to my life.

My name is Cythia and I live with my family, two brothers, one sister and my mother in Mukuru kwa Reuben slum. It is hard to explain to anyone about our daily life in the slum. If you don’t live here you simply can’t understand. What I like is, there is a lot of togetherness. Families are close, possibly because we dont have much to do outside our small iron sheet houses. In our family for example, when we are not lucky to get any casual job, we read together, play together, cook together, do washing together and just sit on water tins to enjoy our meals. Most people wonder how we can live in a slum and still be happy. We don’t know any other life. We have very little in our room which we call home and love it. We don’t have many worries. All we do is read whenever we get a chance.

I always look forward to scholl holiday, not to come home, but to attend Sports for change holidays camps. We usually visit different places. Through them, I have visited areas even my schoolmates from well to do familes havent visited. This gives me a voice when we open school. When other students talk about TV programs and series , I tell them abut new towns and different experiences. In the end my stories get more listeners as they are unique.

My mother struggle a lot to support us, we understand when she don’t have enough to feed us well. I don’t know what she could have managed to educate me and feed us. By helping me, Sports for change supported the whole family.

My real focus in life is to pass well, join university and pursue my dream career of becoming a mechanical engineer.

Joining other Sports for change beneficiaries during holiday mentorship camps has really uplifted my hope in life. Some kids don’t live in a slum but have a lot of challenges. Some are orphans, some got disabled parents. We are all different and special in our own way. And this uniqueness gives us a special bonding as we do take each other as bother and sister from one parent.

I can’t thank all Sports for change supporters enough. You have planted seeds in our lives that will grow and shine through many generations.

Cythia and her sister

Cythi nad her siblings

Cythia and our volunteer at Mukuru slum

Cythia and her brother

Cythia

Links:

You can find us on google

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