James' Story

Left: James as University student; Right: James as Waddington High student

My name is James.  I am a third year student at the Technical University of Kenya. I joined Technical University in the year 2013 after having graduated from Lorna Waddington High School a year earlier with a mean grade of A-. Currently, I have one year remaining before I graduate from University with a Bachelors degree in Accounting.

I write this story as a testimony of a person who has gone through the worst of it but still managed to prevail because I had someone to hold my hand along the way, and this has been the story of my life all through. I come from a family of eight. I am blessed to have five siblings, one brother and four sisters. My family is not well off. Both my parents are casual laborers and what that means is that the little they get in terms of wages is only enough to feed us, clothe us and probably afford us a roof over our heads. My parents work very hard and have always done so to provide for our basic needs and I am forever grateful. However, despite how much they have always tried, paying for an education or providing beyond that has always been a challenge for them.

I started my journey in education in the year 2000, that was the year I joined nursery school. I then joined class one a year later in a public primary school near our home. Public primary education in Kenya is free so I did not have much of a problem attending classes due to school fees. I excelled well in my studies and finished my primary education in the year 2008. I had done quite well since I had managed to attain 402 marks out of the maximum 500. That was a mean grade A. I later received a letter of admission into a highly respected public national school.

I was overjoyed when I learned I had done so well and managed to earn a slot in one of the most respectable schools in the country. However, the celebrations were not going to last long. It was an open truth that my parents could not afford to pay for my entrance fees in that school. The entrance fee was a fair amount of thirty thousand Kenya shillings which any standard family could afford, but that was not the case for us. My parents did not lie to me and they told me outright that joining the school was not going to be possible.  We had to think of something else.

As the deadline for admission drew near and most of my friends continued with their preparations, it suddenly dawned upon me what this meant to me. All of a sudden, all I could see were my dreams crashing in a pile around me. I had nothing to do and I felt so powerless. Education was my dream come true since I believed it was the only way I could pull myself and my family out of poverty. There was absolutely nothing I enjoyed more than being in a classroom and getting knowledge. It was an experience I could not trade for anything. However, I decided not to give up. My parents saw how determined I was to continue with my studies and they kept encouraging me all would be well.  I was almost giving up hope when I finally received the call. One of my friends with whom I had completed high school knew my situation. His mother happened to be a friend to someone who used to work at Lorna Waddington High School. He had been looking for needy students who had done well in their exams but could not join high school. My friend had informed this man of my situation and he had asked that I meet his parents to discuss the way forward. I was so excited I could not wait to know how this would progress.

On the same day in the evening, my parents and I met with this man's mother. She was so glad to have us and was also delighted that I had done so well and that I now had the chance to continue with my education. Everything on how I would get to school was discussed and by 9.00 a.m. the next day, I was in school. From that moment on, I came to realize the value of well wishers and the impact their actions can have on an individual’s life.

Later on in the course of my stay at Lorna Waddington High School, I came to learn how my admission into the school was possible. I came to learn of the numerous people who had contributed their resources in terms of monetary and material items to make me, and many other kids who had gone through similar or even worse circumstances than mine have a reason to hope for a better future. I promised to never let any of them, or even myself, down in way. And that was the reason I worked extremely hard and despite all the odds managed to attain a grade I was happy of and with which I was assured of a place in a public university.

Now I have a chance to live my dreams.  The journey might be long but it leads to a better place. All this would not have been possible without the invaluable contribution by those at Lorna Waddington and the numerous friends of Galilee, some even in faraway places who have denied themselves and devoted themselves in keeping alive the dreams of those kids at Galilee. My hope is that no kid will ever have to miss out on this opportunity to better their lives and this can only be achieved through generous giving and continuous mentoring. I cannot find enough words to express my gratitude. All I can do is pray for their blessings and do my part in creating awareness. I believe one day I will be part of this process of changing lives.