Jackline Wanjiku-PA-MOJA Scholarship recipient

August 2019 update

Jackline Wanjiku Gitahi
Age:16
Form 3 (Grade 11 – in 2020)
School: St. Augustine Sirima Secondary School
Scholarship started: 2018
Sponsored by: Private Donor

Jackline is not afraid to ask questions. She is jovial and loves telling stories. When she looks at you, she smiles in a shy distracted way, and then when you start talking, it is evident she is a bold girl with a quick mind and she is impatient to reach her dreams.

Jackline was born in Kijabe, a rather dry village in Ngobit Ward. She is the second born in a family of three. Her first born sister graduated from high school in 2017 and her younger brother is in grade 6. They live is a small farm with her parents and siblings.

Jackline’s parents Reuben Gitahi and Sarah Wanjiru are small scale farmers. They depend on harvest for income which is not always reliable due to the capricious weather in Laikipia.  Her parents were looking forward to selling some sheep and goats so they could pay her fees but this plan quickly went sideways when marauding wild dogs and later a leopard decimated their stock. This was devastating to the family particularly Jackline, because that was her last hope.

With no hope left, one of the community members informed his father of the ongoing scholarships application at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The deadline for application was drawing close and with no time to waste, he approached the community leader who gave him the form. By that time, Jackline had not joined school because her father was still debating whether to take her to school or clear his older daughter’s outstanding fees balance of 45,600 Kenyan shillings (456 dollars). Jackline received good news that she has qualified for the scholarship after three long weeks of waiting.

Her greatest success is passing her exams and joining a secondary school of her choice.
She would like to be a neurosurgeon, it’s a passion she developed since her childhood. When an animal in their farm dies, she is very curious to know what could have happened to it and even goes to an extent of operating on it to find out the cause. This is something that her parents have always found interesting.
Some of the greatest challenges she faces at home is lack of food sometimes and human wildlife conflict. They live with fear of wildlife attack.

During her free time, she loves drawing animals, the passion for animals and conservation was triggered when they visited Ol Pejeta Conservancy with other pupils from her primary school. She always competes with her younger brother to draw; the father is the judge.

She loves Kenya for the freedom that prevails. However, tribalism always ticks her off. She wishes Kenyans could love and appreciate each others tribe and culture.
Though her career won’t affect her community directly, she hopes with the connections she makes in future she will be able to dig a borehole and dams for her community because lack of water is a big challenge in the area.
Jackline would like to thank her donors. She promises to do her best to achieve her goals. When asked where she thinks she could be were it not for the scholarship; with teary eyes she says,” I am quite sure I would be a casual worker and with time I would have ended up being a house girl or get married.”

Story and Images by Grace Kibatha

August 2019 video by Sue Boucher

April 2019 update

Christmas Greetings 2018