2023 Campaign: Educate at-risk youth in Kenya

Greetings from Kenya. I hope this message finds you well.

In this update, I want to introduce you to four siblings who recently joined Margaret Okari Primary School.

12-year-old Sabina, 8-year-old twins Sharon and Sheila, and 6-year-old Joshua lost their father Samuel in 2019. Since then, their mother Rose, who has no formal skills, has been working tirelessly in others’ fields to scrape together what she can to provide for her family. She cares deeply about her children and their education but is not in a position to provide them with the stable schooling and learning opportunities she wants for them.

After meeting with the family last year, we admitted the four siblings to our school in January, at the start of the current school year. They are all doing very well. In a recent conversation I had with Sabina, her words really struck a chord with me. She expressed a deep desire to become a nurse – both to help others and so she could support her mother and relieve her from years of exhausting work in the fields. Sabina’s determination and resilience, echoed by her younger siblings, are truly inspiring. Rose has also shared with me that having her children at our school feels like a light at the end of the tunnel – that she finally has high hopes for her kids’ futures after so many struggles.

I’m regularly struck by the spirit of hope and perseverance in the children who live and learn at Margaret Okari Primary. Thank you for being an integral part of their journey.

In case you missed it, I also wanted to call your attention to our last update, which featured Caitlin, an alumna of our school who is currently preparing to move to the US for her first year of college at Cornell, where she received a full-ride scholarship. We are so proud of Caitlin and excited to see where her path leads.

Thank you again for your partnership,

Kwamboka

We are very excited to announce that a graduate of Margaret Okari Primary School was recently accepted to Cornell University with a full scholarship and will be moving to the United States later this year to start college. Caitlin, pictured above, became a student at Margaret Okari in first grade. We are so proud of Caitlin and grateful to share this update from her:

My name is Caitlin, and I am an alumnus of Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation and Alliance Girls’ High School. I am now an incoming first-year student on full scholarship at Cornell University in the United States of America.

I enrolled at Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation in the year 2011. I was six years old at the time, ready to start going to school, but my mother (a single mother) did not have the funds to support my early education. My relatives were also not in a capacity to help and these tough financial circumstances turned out to be a great impediment to my educational journey. However, the Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation came through and they took me in when I needed support to join class one (grade one). I studied at Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation up to class eight (grade eight). I attained 427 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examinations and became the leading candidate in Gucha South Constituency which earned me a place at the Alliance Girls’ High School. Alliance Girls’ High School is one of Kenya's leading and most prestigious national girls' high schools.

During my time at Margaret Okari Children’s Foundation, I made memories of a lifetime and got an education that did not only carry me through my academic journey but also my life journey. I got an education beyond what any classroom could offer. An education that instilled critical values and skills in me, values and skills that I hold dearly to date and have defined my life and the trajectory it took in many ways. I learned about the importance of integrity from our Friday morning PPE lessons with Mr. Zablon, embraced selflessness through sharing of meals during school visiting days and class group discussion sessions, cultivated optimism by waking up early every morning to go to school despite difficult circumstances at home like having to miss meals at times [before becoming a boarding student after a couple of years], nurtured hard work through the long hours spent with Mr. Wekesa learning math concepts in extra remedial sessions after school hours, and transformed into a more responsible young lady through embracing duty in school.

At Cornell, I am looking forward to taking up a major in Computer Science. My interests in technology led me to seek global opportunities to pursue Computer Science, with the goal of understanding artificial intelligence and honing practical skills that would enable me to make predictive modeling in economics better. Outside of class, I hope to join interesting groups such as Cornell Club Tennis and Bread Club, further my interest in writing by writing for the Cornell Daily Sun, and continue serving my community through opportunities available at the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement. Also, I look forward to interacting with the diverse student body through life in the Residence Halls and off-campus activities such as those organized through Cornell Outing Club. I seek to diversify my knowledge of the world while enriching the experiences of my peers by sharing my unique perspectives from Western Kenya.

A Cornell education will empower me to share ideas and grow and be challenged within the community in ways that can be impactful for the present and future growth in terms of technology and help me achieve my life goals and ambitions of hugely broadening my up-to-now narrow horizons, and since my rural background is probably unusual in such an institution, I may help broaden others’ horizons, too.

Thank you for your support and partnership, which help make Caitlin's story possible. 

With gratitude,
The Margaret Okari Children's Foundation Team