[two_third]Age: 18 (in 2019)
Graduated in Nov, 2018
School: Endana Secondary School
PA-MOJA Scholarship started: Form 1 (Grade 9)
Tribe: Samburu
Sponsored by: Brookswood Secondary School, Langley, BC, Canada
James lives with his mother, Nakini, and father, Lmayon, in a small village called Tangi-Nyeusi. Lmayon has two wives. James’s mother is the second wife and has five children; the first wife has seven children. They all live together on one piece of land. James is the third born. James’s eldest brother is 29 years old and studies finance at the University of Nairobi. The second born brother is 25 years old and is in Kaaga Boys’ School taking his Form 4 exams. The rest of James’s younger brothers and sisters attend Primary School.
Lmayon is a soldier for the Kenyan Wildlife Service. Nakini works at home taking care of the children and tending their cows, goats and sheep.
Because James’s community perceives that his family has already been lucky (with one son in university) they did not nominate him to be a recipient of a PA-MOJA scholarship. However, James’s father did not have the money to pay for his school fees because of his 2 wives and 12 children. James pleaded with the community and the PA-MOJA representative to support him. They finally agreed to give him a scholarship because of his commitment to learning which resulted in very high grades. James was invited to start high school at Endana Secondary.
James was disappointed at first because he had hoped to go to a National school that produced higher results. However, once he accepted Endana as his high school he set a goal for himself. He committed to graduating with the highest marks in the history of the school; he is very close to achieving this goal.
James loves to debate and has been in the debating club for three years. Recently the Zeitz Foundation came to Endana Secondary and offered the top 6 debaters in the school the opportunity to travel to France to take part in the Model United Nations 2018 Fermun Conference. The topic was on the problems of drug abuse in Kenya. James’s debating skills won him a position on the team and he will be heading to France in January, 2018 to compete against students from around the world.
James favorite subject is Business. He admires his Business teacher and was also inspired by his brother who pushes him to achieve the highest grades possible. He is also inspired by his cousin who attended a very poor secondary school but managed to achieve high enough grades to go to university. James would like to study Actuarial Science in university.
When asked about any changes he would like to see in his community, James said he would like to see the end of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). He thinks all girls should be given the opportunity to be educated so that they have fewer children and can earn enough money to pay for their education.
James has a message for his PA-MOJA donors: “Endana Secondary is very expensive and my education would have ended if I had not been blessed with this scholarship. I want to thank PA-MOJA for giving my life meaning and saving me from a life of herding cattle. My promise is to give back to my community once I’m finished school. I hope someday to be able to help someone the way I was helped. Asante Sana (Thank you).”
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[one_third_last]August 2018 Update,James’s comment, June 2018 [/one_third_last]
