[two_third]Name: Ruth Njambi
Age: 18
Form 4 (Grade 12 – in 2020)
School: St. Jude Boarding School
PA-MOJA Scholarship started: Form 1 (Grade 9)
Tribe: Kikuyu
Sponsored by: Madison East High School, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Ruth lives with her grandmother, Lydia, uncle, Maina and cousin, Brian in a village called Thome in Laikipia East. Her mother, Pheris, lives with her younger brother and sister in another town called Nyahururu. Her father, Peter, left the family when Ruth was in Form 1 and Pheris struggled to support the family so they decided to send Ruth to live with her grandmother and uncle. Neither of Ruth’s parents completed high school.
During school breaks, Ruth visits her mother and siblings for a few days. She takes care of her 10 year old brother and 4 year old sister while her mother works on other people’s farms doing casual labour. When she returns to her grandmother’s farm she tries to focus on studying for exams. During school breaks, high school students in Kenya are required to study for exams that take place on the first week of school. Ruth finds this challenging because the house doesn’t have electricity so she has to use a kerosene lamp.
Ruth’s favorite subject is Physics. Her favorite teacher is her math teacher, Mr. Wachira. He is very patient with students and works hard to help them understand the material. One of Ruth’s challenges is her success at Physics. Many of the girls are jealous because she has done so well. Ruth says that school has taught her to work hard and concentrate on her work. She is proud of being elected as the school’s games (physical education) leader. Her job is to organize the activities and encourage all the girls to participate during games times. Ruth would like to study Engineering in university. If she could change anything about her school she says she would improve the buildings so that it would be warmer for students.
Ruth feels that the most important thing she’s learned in life so far is that you can survive anything as long as you have family and friends to support you. The most important person in Ruth’s life is her mother. Ruth appreciates how hard her mother has worked to pay her school fees and make sure the family has food and clothing. Her mother has also encouraged her to finish all her schooling before getting married.
Ruth has a message for her PA-MOJA donors: “The happiest day of my life was the day I heard the news that I was accepted at St. Jude and would receive a PA-MOJA scholarship. Without this scholarship, I could not have achieved my dream of having an education. My commitment is to finish university and get a good job so I can help other girls in my community. I want to thank all the PA-MOJA donors. This scholarship means my future will be much brighter. Thank you so much. Asante Sana.”
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[one_third_last] Christmas Greetings, Rose’s message May 2018 [/one_third_last]
