Cheboi is typical of the children that we support – his family simply couldn’t afford the school fees for him to attend Nakuru Boys High school, a prestigious boarding school where Cheboi had secured a place thanks to a score of 377 out of 500 in his KCPE primary school exams. This was an amazing effort and he was a deserving case for a Red Rubber Ball Foundation scholarship.
Cheboi continued to work hard throughout his four years at secondary school and left with an overall A- grade in the KCSE exams. It gave him the chance to study Biotechnology at university, where keen athlete that he was, Cheboi was determined to pursue his running ambitions and train hard while working towards his degree.
He applied to join us for our climb of Kilimanjaro and was a popular member of the team – even taking the chance to put in extra training, actually running up the mountain at times!
You can imagine how thrilled for him I was when I received the following message:
“I am delighted to inform you that I have been admitted in a US university and most importantly, my VISA has been approved today at the US Embassy, Nairobi. My interview was successful and I will therefore be travelling to the USA to study and run for my university for four years. My running will pay for my fees. This is a good opportunity for me to study and further my education to the best of my ability.
Today, I can’t imagine how it could be possible for me to complete my high school studies four years ago without your intervention. To be frank, the RRB came to my rescue when I was at the brink of bowing out due to the inability to pay my school fees. In a nutshell, RRB gifted me with the rare opportunity to better my future. I won’t take that for granted but rather, I am deeply grateful.
Thank you so much”
His sponsor Nicola was equally delighted, “Oh wow that’s awesome – love seeing the long-term impact one tiny bit of support can bring”.
Our philosophy is that “anything is possible … if you put your mind to it”. Cheboi certainly has. A fine young man and a proud member of the Red Rubber Ball family.