Nairobi pentecostal church head of missions Pastor Patrick Kuchio (left) and Jomo Kenyatta Foundation corporate affairs manager Josephine Chepkoech (second right) stand with the students they sponsored during a news conference at Nation centre on March 19 2012. Photo/PHOEBE OKALL
By JULIUS SIGEI jsigei@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Monday, March 19 2012 at 22:30
Posted Monday, March 19 2012 at 22:30
IN SUMMARY
- Floodgates of support from individuals and corporations from across the country and abroad open up
They were staring at shattered hopes and dashed dreams of ever breaking the poverty cycle after their education ground to a halt.
The bright but needy children had failed to join national and provincial schools they had been admitted to for lack of fees.
But it is no longer gloom for the lucky nine. On Monday, their smiles radiated in the Nation Media Centre as they received the good news that they would now join their dream schools, after all.
It was the culmination of an outpouring of support for the children from poor families whose story the Saturday Nation exclusively highlighted.
Stories of neglect
Their stories of neglect by society and its government eventually stung the country into action.
And the responses were fast and furious — furious at the government and society’s inaction as a nation’s brightest languished in neglect, and fast in pledging to pay for them.
Floodgates of support from individuals and corporations from across the country and abroad opened. Offers to pay their fees jammed the Nation telephone lines after the plight of these children was highlighted.
Coast provincial director of Education Alex Majani, one of those who wished to sponsor one of the children, said it was an indictment of the society that bright pupils were out in the cold yet people could sponsor them without feeling the pinch.
Some had been at home for more than a month after their colleagues reported for Form One, while others had opted to join day schools near their homes, yet they had been selected to join the best schools in the country.
In the end, four sponsors shared the nine cases with the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation (JKF) and Christ is the Answer Ministries taking up the lion’s share of three each while Nation Media Group sponsored two and an individual who opted to remain anonymous, took up one case.
Happiness Akoth, who had known only sadness after she scored 413 marks out of the possible 500 could not hide her joy after learning her dream could live on.
“I’m so happy now. I promise to work hard and be an electrical engineer so I may help others like me,” said Happiness, who is proceeding to Chogoria High School in Meru County.
Happiness, Francis Katana and Oscar Macharia, have been sponsored by the JKF.
Mary Wairimu, daughter of a single mother; Charles Kamotho, an IDP who is under the care of an ageing grandmother; and Clinton Otieno benefited from Citam (Nairobi Pentecostal Church) scholarships.
Briton Katana was sponsored by NMG alongside 33 other needy students from across the country who had been selected earlier.
Vane Kwamboka’s and Anastacia Chelang’at’s sponsors requested to remain anonymous.
NMG Corporate Affairs team mobilised the children and their guardians and linked them up with their sponsors who will be their “parents” for the next four years. The media group is taking care of their accommodation as arrangements are made to take them to their schools before the end of the week.
“These children were staring at shattered dreams, but today their lives have taken a turn for the better,” said Rev Patrick Kuchio, the head of mission at Citam in the Nation boardroom on Monday.
He told the beneficiaries to work hard so other needy children in future could knock on their doors and find similar help.
Ms Josephine Chepkoech of JKF thanked the Nation for bringing out the story, which has led to securing of the children’s future.
NMG’s chief executive officer, Mr Linus Gitahi, thanked the sponsors and other well-wishers, for the “overwhelming response” and appealed to the respective schools to accept the students even though they were late.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment