wo weeks ago the Kenya team traveled to Pokot in the Western part of Kenya to visit our two partner schools, Alale and St. Anne’s Girls School. The purpose of the trip was to encourage the students and meet with several community, faith, government and school leaders to discuss the rising challenges in Pokot and understand how we can best support them. The journey from Kajiado, where The Humanity Share office is, takes about two days. Education Program Coordinator Makena Mugambi, who grew up in Kenya, shared about the trip.
“This would be my second time traveling to Western Kenya and first time in Pokot. It’s always interesting traveling through different parts of Kenya because of the different tribal cultures you encounter. From their staple foods and crops to the different spoken languages to the traditional clothing we saw a few people wear, journeying to Pokot felt like visiting a different country.
Once at our first destination, Alale Girls Secondary School, we were welcomed by the new principal of the school, Madam Rebecca. Madam Rebecca recently started working at Alale Girls Secondary School and has over 20 years of experience in education. The vibrancy and passion that exudes from her as she shares about empowering the students at the school is inspiring. Along with meeting her for the first time and hearing her vision for helping the school return to a place of growth after a period of challenges, we met with the school’s Board of Directors. The hospitality we received from this community was warm and welcoming, it felt hard to think that we would be there for a short while. Following our meeting, we got to meet with the students – my personal favorite part. The girls welcomed us with lovely songs and gifted each of us with a Pokot shuka (blanket). Thereafter, as is tradition of the program, we had a moment to gather with all the girls and speak to each of them, particularly for those preparing to sit for the annual national examinations at the end of November.
The second school we visited in Pokot was St. Anne’s Chelopoy Girls Secondary School. The program we had was similar to that at Alale Girls School – we connected with their school principal, Mr. Moses, and gathered together with the girls. At St. Anne’s Chelopoy, I was blown away by one girl in particular that sat in the front row and eagerly participated in the discussions. She had a shining smile and a sparkle in her eyes. It was evident that she was glad to be sitting in this school and getting the opportunity to learn alongside her peers. As I watched her and the other students listen attentively to the motivational talk Pastor Kiroka gave, I couldn’t help but be grateful. Grateful that we get to do this work, grateful for the people we get to meet and grateful for the lives we play a small role and see a big impact.
Each time I interact with the girls that are part of The Humanity Share, I am encouraged and inspired. These young ladies are trailblazers in their families and communities, and it is a gift to support them in charting new paths for those to follow after them. I look forward to seeing the growth of the relationships formed, as well as seeing the forward progress the students make in the months and years to come.”
We are currently accepting new students into our education program. If you would like to support a student please reach out to Katie Prins at katie@thehumanityshare.org. Education sponsorship is $47/month or $564/year.
