Eric joined the program in 2007 and is sponsored by Keith and Kathleen Kale. Since a young age, Eric has been a focused, dedicated student and has wanted to make his family proud. However, to get to where he is today hasn’t been easy.

Eric was raised by his mother. His father died when he was young. To make ends meet, Eric’s mother found occasional work near the slums such as working in a salon and making beadwork. With the work, Eric’s mother was able to rent a small two-roomed home in the slums. The home’s walls were made of iron sheets and had no electricity or running water. Eric’s mother was not able to provide many material goods for her family, but she instilled a powerful appreciation of education in her children. Eric knew from a young age that his involvement in the Friends of Ngong Road Program, through which he gained access to education, was his vehicle to a transformed life for himself and his family too.

Eric attended G.S.U Primary School, one of our past partner primary schools, St. Joseph’s High School, and just a few months ago graduated from Kenyatta University with a Degree.

Throughout his post-secondary career, Eric was a standout employee at Digital Divide Data, a company Friends of Ngong Road has partnered with in Nairobi to provide supplemental income and employment experience to some of our students. Eric’s role at Digital Divide Data was to transcribe handwritten articles to an electronic format for clients such as museums and libraries. In return, Digital Divide Data helped pay for some of Eric’s university tuition.

Upon graduation, Eric was promoted again at Digital Divide Data and is now a full-time Project Manager managing a team of people and interacting with clients. He is looking for a new apartment out of the slums. He has made it into the Kenyan middle class.

Sponsors Keith and Kathleen Kale said, “We are very proud of Eric and his accomplishments. By keeping steadily on track he was able to work his way through university and get his degree. He worked so hard and so many hours, it is inspiring. Congratulations to this fine young man.”

Tabitha Ongachi told Friends of Ngong Road President and Founder, Paula Meyer, that she “never thought she would graduate from Form 4.” She knew it was not affordable on her family’s little income. In December 2017, she did just that!

Tabitha has been sponsored by Jamie and Nancy Letcher since she joined the program in 2008 after her father died from AIDS. She and her mother were living with two of her aunts while struggling to make it in the slums of Nairobi. Her mother occasionally washed clothes for other families and sold odds and ends to get enough income for one meal a day.

Tabitha excelled in her primary school environment often performing at the top of her class. She was determined to do well and with a high score on her eighth-grade exam, she was accepted into one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Nairobi, Ngara Girls Secondary School. Although she was one of the few students coming from a background of extreme poverty at the school, she continued to perform well and made friends with students from all different backgrounds. In December 2017, Tabitha scored a B- on her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam. She dreams of becoming a forensic scientist and will be applying to university in the fall.

In December 2017, Tabitha was chosen to be a “Youth Peer Provider” for the new sexual and reproductive health program. Fourteen students were trained through Planned Parenthood Global and eight selected to lead the training for their peers. While applying to post-secondary schools, she has attended our computer training course and Life Skills program led by Megan and Evan Feige of Minneapolis, MN. The program will be expanded later this year thanks to a Rotary Global Grant with the South Metro Minneapolis Evenings Rotary Club and the Kikuyu Rotary Club of Nairobi. She is a respected leader among her peers and an inspiration to her two younger brothers.

A few weeks ago the Managing Director of Pentair in Kenya visited the local office in Kenya. Pentair has been a supporter of the program since 2016, and the manager was interested in learning more about how Pentair is helping to provide education for children in his own community.

When guests tour the program and office the tour ends with a personal story from either a graduate of the program or a guardian of a current student. The tour’s final speaker was George Odhiambo, a 2015 graduate of the program who now works as a caseworker in the local office for primary-aged students. George shared his story in more detail than he has in the past. President and Founder, Paula Meyer, was also in attendance at the tour and said it almost made her cry.

George explained how his life has turned out thanks to the program versus how it could have turned out. He said that he sees his friends from before his acceptance in the program in his home area, and they are thieves or have fathered many children out of wedlock. He felt he would not have even been able to finish primary school if not for the program. He is now still living in the slums and spends a large portion of his salary helping three of his cousins to get an education, rather than spending it on a nicer apartment for himself. He is employed with hope and a future.

If you are ever in Nairobi or know anyone who will be, let us know! We’d love to show you around and introduce you to the students and staff.