Friends of Ngong Road

We empower Nairobi children living in poverty to transform their lives through education and support, leading to employment.

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Graduation Stories

Francis

“Success is and will never be an activity, rather, it is a process”. These were the exact words spoken by Francis on his big day, his graduation day. Francis, our most recent graduate, joined the program in 2010 as a young boy, full of ambitions. He not only completed his studies but also graduated with a degree.

Francis joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in September 2017. He pursued a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, specializing in animal physiology, which entails studying how animals function and their life processes. He has always been a lover of animals. He completed his degree in December 2021 and graduated on the 28th of July 2022.

He was an intern at Bimeda Kenya, a leading global manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of animal health products and veterinary pharmaceuticals, as a sales representative for 3 months. Francis currently has two internship options, to either renew his internship contract with Bimeda or to join one of our employment initiatives, the Techmates program. He hopes to be able to put his skills and knowledge into action and add value to any place that he goes to.

Shaleen

Shaleen has always been a focused and hardworking girl since she joined the program in 2010. Her dedication and resilience finally paid off when she was able to wear a graduation gown, a dream she has always had. On her graduation day, she had lots of emotions, but most importantly, she was proud of herself for being consistent all through her studies.

Shaleen joined the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in May 2018 after completing her high school studies in 2017. She pursued a degree in Bachelor of Commerce and specialized in accounting, an area that she really enjoyed as business studies were among her favorite subjects in high school. The program took 4 years to complete and on the 17th of December 2021, she finally graduated. 

She is currently working as a temporary finance assistant at the Christian Health Association of Kenya  (CHAK). When asked about her aspirations, Shaleen said that she hopes to complete the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) course, earn the accredited title, venture into the audit

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Waiting Students

We have many students waiting for a sponsor to give them the gift of education.

Cynthia

Cynthia is a beautiful young girl who loves to cook and read. She lives in Waithaka, Dagoretti with her Mother and an older brother who is in grade seven. Her mother is the sole breadwinner of the family and she does laundry for a living. Her income isn’t enough to meet the family’s needs, so sometimes they have to forgo a meal to make ends meet.

She is a bright student who loves being in school but has not been able to be in school consistently due to financial constraints. Cynthia’s best subjects are English and Christian Religious Education. Cynthia is a musician and loves playing the piano while in school. She would love to be a scientist in the future and to invent medicine for incurable diseases. Cynthia works hard at school because she knows education is the only thing that will make it possible for her to have a successful career as a scientist. 

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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.

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Waiting Students

Michael

Michael

One charming thing that you notice about Michael when you meet him for the first time is his warm and big smile. He has the warmest and most innocent smile a boy his age could possibly have. Michael is 10 years old and is the first born in his family with one younger brother. He stays with both his parents. His mother does casual jobs while his father works as a carpenter.

Michael is very intelligent, which can be seen from his academic performance to how he speaks and conducts himself. He scored high during his entrance exams. This is way above good performance, it is excellent. He hopes to pursue mechanical engineering in a higher learning institution after completing his Form 4 (senior year of high school)  studies.  Michael is not just an intelligent boy, he is a fun person to be with. He loves reading books and playing soccer with his friends. He already knows how to balance school and leisure time. 

When Michael is connected with a  sponsor, he will join Ngando Preparatory School and begin his transformational journey. The thought of having a sponsor really excites Michael and he cannot wait to be part of the program.

Esther

Esther is a grade two young girl with a wide smile and an ever-happy face, and that is exactly what you get when you get to interact with her. She lives with her aunt and her cousin. Their standard of living is not so good. Her aunt is a casual worker who does odd jobs like laundry for other people in order to get some money to sustain the family. The little she gets is never enough to cater to their needs.

Despite her being constantly sent out of school due to accumulated fee arrears, she is evidently a bright student. During the selection interview, she scored high marks which are above average performance and this performance set her apart from other interviewees. Esther has a dream of becoming a nurse just like her cousin from whom she draws inspiration from. However, she is pessimistic about it because of the family’s financial situation and her absence from school every time she is sent home.

Esther can only actualize her hope of becoming a nurse when she secures a sponsor. She will go through school, be able to pursue her career, and support her family at the end of it all. 

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Two Remarkable Young People:

Siblings Lorine and Emmanuel

By Susan Plimpton

Almost 15 years ago, we accepted the sponsorship of Lorine, at that time a young girl of about 10 years of age.  When I met her, she had a big smile on her face but found me a bit intimidating and looked down at the ground when I shook her hand.  Her father had died recently and her mother, also positive, was weakened by an illness.  Lorine was helping with cooking and washing while also going to school.  Even then her mother knew that a good education was the only possible way to give Lorine a chance at a better life and thus applied for sponsorship in the Ngong Road program. Over the years, Lorine gradually became more self-confident. We loved communication through email and had fun times shopping when I was in Nairobi. Several years after “adopting” Lorine I learned that her young brother, Emmanuel, was also available for sponsorship and we agreed to take him on as well. Emmanuel was a little more reserved but very motivated academically in primary school which enabled him to enter a competitive secondary school. 

Both Lorine and Emmanuel were accepted by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology for a two-year certificate program after they completed secondary school, Lorine in Business Studies and Emmanuel in Business Information Technology. Upon completing the program, Lorine self-financed herself for a 4 year Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies and now works in a financial position at the British East African Tobacco Company in Nairobi.


Emmanuel is an IT intern at the Ngong Road Children’s Foundation, one of the first “TechMates”. He is so proficient in information technology and cyber security that he has a second internship at Lido Nation as an Intern/Junior Developer.  Emmanuel has also been invited by the Swiss non-profit organization, United People Global, to participate in a week-long leadership and sustainability program this summer at Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership in Rockland, Maine. He is hoping to obtain his U.S. visa to attend.

 My husband David and I visited Lorine and Emmanuel pre-pandemic and were so impressed and proud of the young adults they have become.  Both have matured into self-confident and poised individuals who have every intention of contributing to the development of their countries. They indeed are examples of the transformation that can be achieved by the children sponsored by Friends of Ngong Road at the Ngong Road Children’s Foundation.

 Lorine says . . .

My experience of being a beneficiary of the NRCF program has been educational, adventurous, and amazing. From the yearly camps to the overflow of support from my sponsor and the organization. NRCF has been very instrumental in shaping the woman that I have become through the Life Skills training, educational support from the beginning of my O level (grade school) to the end of my A level (high school), and also the feeding program that helped my mind be at ease over when the next meal would come. I look forward to running my own business and sponsoring a child. Again I say thank you to the organization for the opportunity.

Warm regards,

Lorine

Emmanuel says… 

My experience at Ngong Road Children’s Foundation is one where I can use two words to describe it: “grateful and thankful”. I enrolled in the program in 2010 at the age of eleven years. My academic journey hasn’t been a smooth one. In fact, I could describe it as surfing through strong ocean waves, but NRCF was always there to help me surf the tides.

How the program has positively impacted my life

The program gave me a scholarship from primary school, when young, to university for my education. NRCF also provided Life Skills training and other support programs. I am currently interning as an ICT intern in the program as a TechMate. This internship has greatly empowered me economically and upscaled my technical skills in matters concerning information technology.

What does my future look like? 

I could describe my future from the lens of an optimist. One that is promising and demanding as well. I view myself as growing even better. This could be by adding more academic qualifications to my portfolio and having reliable years of experience in the business information, and technology arena and demanding in the aspect that all the achievements I want to make will require me to push myself beyond ordinary limits. I do believe that thus far I have proven that I am capable of being and doing better and the rate at which I am growing is intensifying rather than slowing.

Thank you all,

Emmanuel