Name: Franklin Njoroge Ndirangu
Age: 16 years
School: Thome Boys Secondary School
Grade: 10
Franklin came from a challenging background tinged with instability and memories of violence. It took time before he came into terms with it.
Life was hard and not once they would go to bed empty stomach. But Franklin’s mother has this one character that he really admires. She is so optimistic and never gives up. She started undertaking casual work and the little earned was for basic needs. Being the firstborn in a family of three, Franklin promised his mother to work hard in school regardless of the situation at home. He also wanted to be a good role model for his younger siblings, who not only look up to him as the firstborn but as the “man” of the house.
When he did his grade 8 exams, he was the top student in his class and he got an admission to a national school but chances of continuing with his education were very slim. His mother approached well-wishers with no luck. They applied for constituency development fund which is a government bursary scheme and it is one off with a hope he will get at least one-year sponsorship.
As reporting day drew closer, Franklin had totally lost hope. He joined his mother in doing casual work. He resolved that is what fate holds for him. When the semester was halfway his mother received a call Franklin had received one-year sponsorship from the government bursary scheme. Without wasting any more time, Franklin reported to the school. It was hard for him to catch up but he finally did.
He was never settled in school because he was always speculating where he will get his other three years school fees. He requested his mother to apply for the Ol Pejeta Conservancy scholarships. He knew he will definitely drop out of school if he never got this scholarship. But he was dancing to a different tune when he received a call from one of the community members he had qualified.
Community
Franklin comes from Mwakinya community, one of the communities surrounding the conservancy. Changes he would like to see in the community include but not limited to; violence against women to stop because it psychologically affects the children, farmers embracing conservation agriculture and improved road network.
In future, he hopes to start campaigns against gender violence in his community. Violence against his mother was a very painful experience and he believes there are so many other women silently suffering from the same.
Achievements
Franklin loves his school as it is one of the best performing school in the country and teachers are committed to what they do. Since grade 9 he has been one of the top performers in his class.
He is also into athletics and high jump. Last semester he went up to regional level.
Thank You Message to the Donor
“Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I hope one day we will meet and you meet my mother who is really grateful. She was more than willing to pay my school fees but she had no idea how possible that is with her little income. I promise to continue working hard in my studies and never let you down. “Says Franklin.
