Michael left Mundeku Primary School in western Kenya in 2013 with 372 points, an A- grade and was looking forward to secondary school. However, like many families locally, the school fees would present an impossible challenge to his family.
The Red Rubber Ball Foundation was able to step in and provide a secondary school scholarship, meaning that Michael was able to progress to nearby Namasoli Secondary School.
Michael explains, “I went through millions of challenges spanning from my primary education to tertiary levels and all I can say is it’s a blessing. Walking barefoot, wearing worn out school uniforms, uncertain eating. My county had poor infrastructure, meaning that we walked for several kilometres in search of water. These were some of the major challenges that equipped me with extraordinary strength.
We never had any media of communication, no television. We worked endlessly to put food on the table, sleeping on the mud-made floor. I even suffered with jiggers (Jiggers are the painful effect when sand-fleas burrow under the skin which then becomes infected) enjoying their meal on every part of my body, one of my painful experiences.
I survived, I won, and now I’m working on myself to thrive”.
He did indeed thrive. He worked hard at Namasoli and in 2016 achieved a C+ in the KCSE final exams. It secured him a place to study for a degree in Microbiology and Biotechnology at Embu University, in the foothills of Mount Kenya.
Michael continues, “We live on hopes and tireless efforts to achieve our dreams. I always dreamt to be a scientist. With no formula to work on, you set your targets, work on them.
The Red Rubber Ball Foundation secured my dream that at some point was capsizing with the worry of school fees and expenses. I really give credit to the team. Apart from the financial scholarship, I benefited from their continuous motivation, workshops and their endless follow up. It played a key role to getting me where I am today.
University was tough, but the fact that I was closer to my dream kept me pushing”.
Michael kept pushing. He graduated from Embu University with an Upper Second degree and has now secured an assignment at the Kenya Medical Research Institute as a researcher in vaccine generation in gastroenteric microbes.
He says, “In a nutshell, the most important thing in life is a form of motivation. Seeing myself conducting research on genetics, vaccine development for pandemic diseases from Nairobi slums and DNA extraction, were some of the things I was dreaming of. My endless, efforts, support from the parents, colleagues, friends and Red Rubber Ball Foundation, has steered my career.
The Foundation team encouraged us to help each other, especially through guidance and motivation. This was gamechanger to my perspective of giving a hand. I have been able to assist countless students, discovering their purpose with the powerful quote from the team – ‘Anything is possible if you put your mind to it’.
My experience is that youths from all walks of life lack proper guidance, no follow up, and the inability to adhere to our purpose in life. Anything IS possible if you put your mind to it. Help a colleague and encourage this to be a chain, then lots of lives will be secured”.