Kelvin Thuku, Author at Friends of Ngong Road

September 14, 2022 By Kelvin Thuku 2 Comments

Emmanuel Scholarship to Ghana

Emmanuel, sponsored for 12 years, joined the program in 2010 and received support from Susan and Dave Plimpton for primary, secondary, and post-secondary education.

During primary school, he developed a passion for technology through the NRCF Computer Lab, attending computer classes led to pursuing a tech career path. In high school, Emmanuel was a good student who was very active in class participation. He was responsible and had leadership skills as he was the class monitor. After high school, Emmanuel underwent intensive computer training for three months which he received a certificate from the Computer Society of Kenya and Belmont College. He later joined Jomo Kenyatta University to pursue a degree in Business Information Technology. He graduated in 2022.

In 2021, NRCF launched a new tech internship program, TechMates, designed to offer on-the-job training to graduates interested in tech careers. Emmanuel was among the pioneer interns of this program and underwent an eight months training program from September 2021 to May 2022. During this internship, he was able to gain employment with Lido Nation as a software developer.

NRCF launched an Entrepreneurship Program in May 2022 to train alumni in business start-up, management, and sustainability. Emmanuel, a pioneer, focused on website development and management. Emmanuel applied for a Tech Entrepreneurship Training scholarship at Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Ghana. This is a 1-year training program focused on tech entrepreneurship. He qualified for this program and has been invited to join the cohort in September 2022.

Emmanuel has demonstrated superb leadership and resilience throughout his education journey. Emmanuel’s personal strengths are as impressive as his intellectual accomplishments. We celebrate all the milestones that he has achieved so far. The sky’s the limit for Emmanuel.

December 16, 2021 By Kelvin Thuku 1 Comment

Alumni Update

In 2021, 25 students in our program graduated from college. Since graduation, 78% of these alumni have found employment while one returned to school to further her education. This success has been possible due to the enormous support from our partners and sponsors who have walked with these graduates on their journey through life transformation. We would like to highlight 3 graduates who are celebrating the fruits of their hard work and the investment in their support.

Noah Ngugi – Make-up Artist at M.A.C Store

Noah joined the program in October 2007. As a child, his family’s ability to pay for education was an incredible challenge. Friends of Ngong Road provided a bridge for him to pursue his dreams. He has now completed his education and is incredibly proud of having a degree, a career, and the ability to support himself.

Noah studied at Uhuru Boys Secondary School and graduated in 2017. He later joined Lintons College to pursue a Diploma in Make-up Artistry and Nail Technology. He graduated in November 2021.

Currently, he is working at M.A.C cosmetics store as a cosmetologist. Noah is also an active leader at Ngong Road Children’s Foundation as a Youth Peer Provider (YPP) for the sexual Reproductive Health Program.

Wence Njiri- The Social Worker/ Case Manager

As a child with little hope and dreams for his future, life was challenging. Although his parents did their best to provide for the family, they struggled financially. The world and prospects changed for Wence when he joined our program in October 2009.

He was so happy when he learned he was sponsored. He received a lot of love from the caseworkers and the other students in the program; he met many new friends. He also had access to consistent support, education, and food. During his time in school and participating in supportive programming, Wence was able to discover himself and harness his skills to prepare for success. Wence became a leader in the program as a Young Peer Provider (Ypp) for the sexual Reproductive Health Program at NRCF.

Wence is a graduate of Kabete National Polytechnic with a diploma in Social Work and Community Development. He currently interns at NRCF in the Primary department with prospects of being hired full-time in the future. There is a saying that we only need one thread to weave our story and for him, Ngong road Children’s Foundation was that thread.

Eric Njuguna- Supply Chain Management Graduate

Eric is the youngest of three siblings. In October 2002 his mother passed away due to illness, and, at such a young age, this loss crushed him and he felt like his life was entangled in darkness. Eric and his siblings moved in with their grandma who enrolled him in school. Although he was relieved and excited to be in school, it came with a lot of challenges. His grandma was older and had diabetes, so she couldn’t work enough to keep up with the rising school fees.

Life started looking up when his grandma was told about the sponsorship program by a friend. After meeting the rigorous selection requirements Eric and his brother were both sponsored. All aspects of their lives were taken care of, including health, education, and nutrition. He graduated from college with a diploma in Supply Chain Management and is currently applying for jobs.

Nelson Mandela, the first black African President of South Africa once said that ‘Education is the great engine of personal development.’ Eric is forever grateful to Friends of Ngong Road for providing him with the education and support he needed to transform his life.

December 15, 2021 By Kelvin Thuku 1 Comment

Letter from Nairobi

Hello Friends of Ngong Road,

The last quarter of this year has been a busy time for staff in Nairobi as they reflect on the year’s achievements as well as the following year’s plan. We note that there is much to celebrate, from moving to a new office to students resuming school after the 2020 COVID-19 school shutdown. It has been more than just surviving. It meant embracing resilience and dealing with the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Compressed school calendar leads to unrest

The last quarter was the second term for students in primary and high school. This is due to the change in the school calendar and the introduction of a 4th term to make up for the lost year in 2020. This meant that students would stay longer in school with minimal school breaks. It also meant a high focus on academics and fewer extracurricular activities. However, this did not augur well with the students. During the second term, Kenya witnessed a high rate of student unrest characterized by strikes and arson in schools. More than 31 learning institutions were burnt down this term alone.

Four of our partner schools were affected; Loise Nanyuki (2 students attending), Kiriathiani school (1 student), Karima boys (2 students), and Makwa boys (13 students). The students have since resumed school but had to pay a fee to rebuild the damaged dormitories. Due to the unrest, the government had to send all students for a midterm break in November as students attributed the unrest to the fact that there was no school break in the term. Our staff continued to guide and counsel students especially during school visits in order for them to remain focused on their studies.

Kenya is still struggling with COVID-19

We conducted a second home assessment of our families where we learned that 86% of the households had someone working compared to 95% in July, while 14% had no one working compared to 5% in July 2021. 76% of the households had an income decrease compared to 57% in July, while 5% had an income increase compared to 10% in July.

The country has made extensive efforts to bring down the positivity rate as well as increase vaccine uptake. As of November, 9% of the adult population had been vaccinated with a target of 10% by the end of the year. At NRCF, all staff has been fully vaccinated.

We look forward to another successful year with you, our supporters.

Best to all of you this holiday season,

Kelvin Thuku

Program Manager

Ngong Road Children Foundation

September 18, 2021 By Kelvin Thuku Leave a Comment

Alumni Stories

Lydia, a Call Center Attendant at Zuku Kenya Limited is Looking Ahead to Graduate School

A Chinese proverb states “A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step”. This is the story of Lydia, she could not imagine that she would be a college graduate.

Lydia’s journey has not been easy. She lived with her mother and younger brother. Lydia attended a community primary public school every morning, without any hope of transferring to a secondary school. The life she finds herself living now was beyond the realm of her wildest dreams.

Thanks to Friends of Ngong Road and Ngong Road Children’s Foundation, she was paired with a sponsor who was instrumental in her success. The program fully paid her school fees from primary school through university, including necessary school supplies. This generous support made her work even harder to achieve good grades.

At 23 years old she prides herself not just for having attained a BS in Economics and Finance but also for being among the few girls in her neighborhood that have transformed their life in this way. Her transformational journey has just started as Lydia now works as a call center attendant at Zuku Kenya Limited, a fiber optic company. Her future aspirations include earning a master’s degree so she can pursue better job opportunities.

Bernard works as an Operations Associate at Karibu Loo Limited.

Bernard is one of our graduates who currently works at Karibu Loo Limited as an Operations Associate, after completing a driving course. He is grateful for how far he has come and is now on the right path to transforming his life. His story is that of persistence and demonstrating a spirit of not giving up.

He was raised by his aunt, since his mother was in poor health, which made it impossible for her to be involved in his upbringing. Unlike many children, he had a lot of challenges which caused him to enroll in school at an older age than normal.

His family situation affected his academics and like most teens, he had his own challenges. But he never gave up and finished high school with the support of his sponsor and program staff. He even became the school president while in high school.

Bernard says, “Learning to have that persistence, letting my ego down a bit, and asking for help is what has made me come this far. Thanks to everyone who helped me through school.”

Brian works as a Sales Associate at Platinum Credit Limited.

Our program’s support has transformed Brian’s life, making him one of our recent graduates. His story is one that will be told for generations to come in his family. Brian has utilized his experiences as a stepping stone to overcome challenges and achieve success in life. He lived with his grandparents. Early on, he recognized importance of taking school seriously to escape his deteriorating living situation and assist his aging grandparents.

While he was sponsored, he gained various skills that helped him develop as a whole person. The life skills learned during school holidays and at camp encourage him to pursue leadership roles in both secondary and post-secondary school. The computer skills he developed through our program have been essential in his journey to acquiring a job. He completed his diploma in Entrepreneurship Development from The Eldoret Polytechnic. Currently works as a Sales Associate at Platinum Credit Limited. In just a month, he grasps marketing insights and manages client queries, showcasing remarkable proficiency and swift adaptation.

Transformative education improved his life, cultivating gratitude and a future aspiration to aid others on their educational journey.

Brian shared, “Success favors those who fail till they succeed and never let challenges be a stumbling block rather let them be opportunities for growth.”