NAME: SIMON NJUGUNA WANJIRA
DATE: 7th DECEMBER 2017
My name is Simon Njuguna Wanjira. I am 20 years old and a resident of Kibathi in a village called Umoja located in Ol-Jorok subcounty in Nyandarua county
I am born in a family of two where I am the last though my elder sister is only an year older. I am from a single-parent family. I became a beneficiary of the NCCK scholarship in the year 2014 while I was in form two. Currently I am a student at the Technical University of Kenya in the second year where am pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
My academic journey had been tough before I become one of the recepients of the NCCK scholarship program. I was never in for holiday tuitions in primary as they couldn’t be affordable. Situations worsened when after we did our K.C.P.E exams and I managed to score 384 marks while my sister scored 291 marks. I secured a place in Ndururumo High School, a provincial school by then also located in Nyahururu.
Bearing in mind of the situation I left back at home, I got admitted in high school not sure if I would complete my studies but I hoped for the best. My sister had to remain back at home for my mother had spent all her savings on admissin fees which was 19000 and she couldn’t raise as soon as possible for her fees and still manage to make ends meet.
My sister got admitted a month after in boarding school but a more cheaper one. My first term in form one was smooth as the fee was completely paid. This was contrary to my sisters situation since she was constantly sent home for fees and would spend some days or even weeks at home. The two terms in form one passed on without my mother paying anything. This resulted to my fee balance summing upto 23000 shillings in the end of form one. It was at the beginning of form two when I was sent home due to high school balance and I had to spend 3 days at home. My mother had no cash and decided to borrow some 5000 shillings from her friend.
My mother took me to school and agreed with the principal due to my good perfomance he would take me in with a condition that my mother would eventually complete paying the oustanding debt. With this God given chance, I vowed to make the best out of it, NCCK intervention came while I was in form two third term, I got informed about the NCCK scholarship by my class teacher and I applied. By then, my sister had been transferred to day school due to the money constrain condition in our family.
Luckily I was chosen and this eased the fee burden to my single parent. Thereafter, my high school journey ended smoothly and I managed an A- while my sister managed a C a year later after she repeated form two when she transferred. I later joined the Technical University of Kenya in September in the year 2016 and currently I’m in my second year.
It was after the NCCK intervention that I would easily have enough time to study, comfortably report to school without the fear of being sent back home due to my fee arreas and also this reflected in my sister’s studies. My dream is to successfully finish my college studies and gain skills in my area of competence and secure an opportunity in the highly competitve industries and wholly be part of NCCK to continually help the needy and give bak to the society in all aspects.
To the NCCK receive my heartfelt appreciation for your continuing effort and support to the needy in the society. God bless you .
