Prisca Kagendo,B.A. Teaching (Science) & Counseling, Kenya Methodist University (KEMU), 2011
September 10, 2011:

I wish you could have heard the joy in Prisca’s voice on the day of her college graduation! Prisca’s life has been transformed through education. A “total orphan” (both parents passed) since age 15, she was forced to leave high school to support her three sisters and one brother. IPI helped Prisca complete high school, then we sent her to KEMU. Her story is featured in the film, Education Is Hope! (see below). Prisca now teaches science at a prestigious girls’ high school. She supports her youngest sister in high school, her brother going to electrician school, another sister and the sister’s child. She is applying for a master’s degree in environmental science. Prisca would like to study in the U.S. Meantime, she counsels young women like her to work hard and pursue their dreams. Ann & Mark Kessel helped sponsor Prisca.

Dominic Muriuki , B.S., Biomedical Technology, University of Nairobi, 2011.

Dominic was forced to leave school at age 7 to help his mother and sister after his father died. He worked in fields and other manual labor jobs, but returned to school every year to sit for the national exam, which, somehow, he always passed, excelling in science. When it came time for high school, the community, perceiving Dominic’s character and academic promise, pooled its shillings. Each family contributed something, even while their own children stayed home. Dominic graduated high school at the top of his class. He graduated U. of Nairobi with honors. He’s started three self-help groups for youth in his community and helped initiate 2 water projects. In his home area, Chugu, they call him “doctor” and “teacher.” Dominic seeks a Master’s in Public Health and has applied to programs in Nairobi, S. Africa, UK, and Italy, including the Rhodes and Cambridge scholarships. He has been generously supported by students at Silver Creek High School, Eamon Aloyo, Ola Bovin, and the Backup’s and Crisafulli’s. Students at Silver Creek have committed to seeing Dominic through the master’s!

Laban Excels - seeks sponsors

Laban excelled in his recent internship in a clinic in Maua, not far from Meru. Every term, he has received a congratulations phone call from the academic dean at KEMU for his high marks. Laban has 2 more years left to complete his B.S. in Nursing. He’s hard working, ambitious, and a major source of support for his family. The Kathy Rosol Group sponsored Laban for two years, enabling him to attend KEMU sporadically. Last year, he received support from the Lott Family and Sandy Lynn. However, we need a bit more to get him through. ICSP is working with IPI-Kenya. This term, IPI-K funded Laban’s tuition, and ICSP has committed to Laban’s monthly rent and upkeep ($65 total). Laban is ICSP’s last scholar. He has two more years to go. Please contact me, if you can help.

Ben: College counselor, Movie Star

Ben was our first ICSP student, and our first graduate. He earned his B.A. in teaching and counseling, and was immediately hired by KEMU as the student counselor on the Nairobi campus. This is an excellent job, and he’s quite well-suited for it. With his salary, Ben supports his younger sister in high school and brother in college. He housed Dominic in Nairobi. Initially, Ben asked ICSP for assistance with his master’s degree, but has funded this degree program—in Higher Education Administration—on his own. Ben makes a cameo appearance in Education is Hope!

Faith:

In December, 2011, Faith graduated the University of Nairobi in business. She completed an internship at the United Nations Operations department in Nairobi, then hit the streets hard looking for paid work. It wasn’t easy, and were it not for the generosity of her U.S. supporters, including the Crissafulli’s and Cheryn Englebrecht, she might not have succeeded. Finally, Faith’s persistence paid off. Now she works as a community liaison for the Community Development Fund (CDF) in Meru. Faith earns a salary, and I mean earns. She’s in the community seven days a week, tracks and disperses funds, and interfaces with the media and community groups. She is studying for a certificate in project management, then will apply for a master’s degree in business or non-profit management. She has moved from home to a place with electricity so that she can study at night.

Fredah:

Fredah transferred to the University of Colorado, Boulder, in August. She’s living in a dorm, where she was immediately elected dorm president and Transfer Student Representative. Her visa allows her to work on campus, and this is a high priority for her. Fredah has already made several friends and is blossoming socially and academically. She has fallen in love with Boulder, and vice versa. Fredah has benefitted from the support of The Harhay’s, Merry Sturtz, The Crissafulli’s, Ann & Mark Kessel, and Sheri Sheppard & Ed Carryer. Over the summer, Fredah was the in-country director for the Shoulder to Shoulder program, in which Vail Mountain School students lived and worked at the community home in Meru. She did an outstanding job and became well-loved by the students. You can read about the program and Fredah at: Join Fredah at the Vail Daily.

March 15th, 2011

Fredah has been working hard.  Adored by the Harhay’s three lovely children, who she lives with and cares for, she also manages a full load at Diablo Valley Community College in California.  Often writing papers and studying for tests in the wee hours of the morning, Fredah is completing her second year of community college in the USA with a 3.7 GPA. 

When not studying or helping with the children, Fredah has been working on college applications, in anticipation of transferring to a 4-year school in the fall.  She is blessed to have the assistance of a live-in college counselor, Merry Sturtz,—“Mom-Mom”—whose patience and wisdom have been invaluable.  After researching several schools around the country, Fredah identified programs in political science, international studies, and women’s studies.  Her application essays are unusual, compared to most. In one she wrote: 

“To save for college after high school, I bought chickens and goats.  I was hopeful that when this investment materialized I would have made enough money to pay my tuition.  I stayed at home taking care of the chickens and goats for two years.  One month before I could sell them, an epidemic killed them all, and with them, my hopes for a better future”

Just today, Fredah learned that she was accepted to UC Boulder!  Fredah likes the Political Science major there and a peace and justice program housed within the new Center for the Study of Conflict, Collaboration, and Creative Governance.  She also loves the campus, which she has visited twice--fortunately, on warm days! Fredah is waiting to hear from other schools, including Stanford, hoping maybe for an offer that includes financial support.   

It’s amazing to think of the life of this young woman, who grew up among the poorest of the poor in rural Kenya, whose age mates are “hunched-back with babies,” as Fredah describes them,  now looking at completing her undergraduate degree at a premier university in the US.  Thanks to the support she’s received from donors, her host family, and so many others, she now faces a world of possibilities she otherwise could never have imagined!  

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