PATHWAYS Leadership for Progress

Isaac, an AIDS orphan, is the first PATHWAYS Leadership for Progress scholar. Despite financial hardship and family difficulties, Isaac remained in school and excelled in his studies. On the national secondary school leaving exam, he scored among the 10 highest in the whole country. Isaac began medical school at the University of Nairobi in October 2005. As (a required) part of the PATHWAYS application, Isaac proposed a project to help childorphaned by AIDS in rural villages. His objectives are to: 1) provide the children with a stable environment, with an emphasis on educational achievement as well as practical skills; and 2) intensify HIV/AIDS awareness amongst the orphans and the community in general. The late, Father Angelo D’Agostino, the founder of Nyumbani, a home for HIV positive abandoned children in Kenya, served as Isaac’s mentor before his death in 2006. Sister Mary Owens, the current head of Nyumbani, currently serves as Isaac’s mentor.

2007 Update

Isaac had a challenging but exhilarating year in medical school. He says, “What has thrilled me more in second year is the adventure of attending medical camps. These make me feel like am already a Doc. They are very exciting and are to me a very useful learning tool as I get an opportunity to practice the classroom knowledge in the fields. The last one I attended was a 2 day Medical camp in Nyamira District (24th-25th of February). We gave counseling, made diagnoses and administered treatment and gave referrals. We also distributed medicine to the sick and distributed contraceptives. The doctors took the opportunity to give HIV/AIDS awareness talks to the locals. It was a wonderful day and I look forward to such in future.”

Isaac has also made tremendous progress working on his PATHWAYS project to build a self sustaining orphanage in his village of Wagire. In the past 18 months he has acquired land for the establishment, started two support projects to help boost resources e.g. vegetable garden and a poultry unit, organized a fundraising activity that raised Kshs 10000, transparently recruited 14 orphans into the system, registered the project, carried out the first home based care campaign in the immediate community aimed at helping the very disabled the sick and the convalescent community members, fed the orphans on a number of occasions, created awareness in the community not only about the project but also on HIV/AIDS, and built a building for the nursery school pupils including the orphans. [Pictured: Isaac building a structure for his orphan project along with his community members.]

2008 Update

Isaac was awarded PATHWAYS 2007 “Scholar of the Year” award for his excellence in academics, project progress and help in furthering PATHWAYS’ mission. Isaac continues to make substantial progress on his project. He reports that currently “The nursery has two female teachers who hail from the locale. They work on volunteer basis and this has proved so tough for them since they also have their families to take care of.” [Pictured: Orphans in Wagire who are benefiting from Isaac's project.]

In order to receive help from the government for teacher salaries, a latrine, a borehole and fencing were required to be associated with the new nursery school. Because of Isaac’s commitment and progress, he was awarded extra funds in 2008 (an extra $1000 above the typical $500 project award) in order to meet those requirements.

2009 Update

This past year, Isaac and his community formed a community based organization, Sulwe Community based Organization or SUCOBO, which now acts as a cosponsor of the project with PATHWAYS. It also assists in the selective recruitment of orphans into the main project. After a consultative meeting in April this year, the name of Nyakongo Nursery School was changed to Nyakongo Educational Center which was meant to be in line with the educational goals of SUCOBO. The members of SUCOBO appointed an action committee :

1. Chairman- David Oyugi
2. Secretary- George Ooko
3. Treasurer- Kenan Ngere
4. Member- Charles Omwanza
5. Member- Isaac Ngere
6. Member- Wiliam Amala

Nursery School subproject. The nursery school student population is currently 90, fourteen of whom are orphans under Isaac’s project. The pupils are split into three groups for ease of learning: 3 years, 4 years and 5 years. The PATHWAYS project money helps provide to the orphans school uniforms, school supplies, tuition fees, and food. This year, finishing touches were put on the nursery school building including installing windows, doors and plastering the floor. In addition, a pit latrine was dug in the nursery school compound. A school board was instituted composed of eleven members including the head teacher, community members and parents representatives. [Pictured are children attending the nursery school, community members and Isaac]

Tree Nursery subproject. In April, the project was able to sell 1,200 seedlings which translated to Ksh. 4,000. Most were sold for between Ksh. 3 and Ksh. 5. This was because most had been affected by pests and the drought. With better strategies, the group plans to incorporate fruits and more indigenous breeds of trees so as to increase income. The main goal is to reforest the local area and improve environmental conditions for the future generations.

Poultry subproject. Last year the number of chickens increased from 50 to 150. A large proportion was sold to local buyers and some of the proceeds were reinvested into the project. Unfortunately, there were problems such as poultry diseases, limited production capacity of the chicken unit, and long duration of time for the local variety of chicken to reach maturity.

2010 Update

▪Successfully transferred the nursery school from Nyakango SDA church compound to the new classrooms at Nyakango Educational Center (NEC).
▪Bought furniture costing 25,000 KSH ($338) for the new classroom.
▪Oversaw completion of the new latrines at NEC. A 4 stance latrine has been constructed and is in use.
▪Enrolled 90 pupils in baby class, nursery class and pre-unit at NEC.
▪Employed one additional teacher at NEC and increased teachers’ salaries from 800 ($10.80) to 1500 KSh ($20.30) per mo (as of Jan 2010).
▪Employed one additional staff at NEC to help with sanitation and food preparation- 1000 KSH ($13.50) per mo.
▪Bought paper and notebooks (12,000KSH/$162.16) for NEC.
▪Oversaw formation of NEC board of Governors and Parents Teachers Association at NEC.
▪Successfully held a fund raising event on 20th Dec 2009 which raised 20,000 KSH ($270) used to help purchase desks and stationary.

2011 Update

Isaac graduated from Medical School at the University of Nairobi in December 2010. Isaac, who was the very first PATHWAYS Scholar chosen in the organization’s inaugural year of 2005, has been an exemplary scholar contributing to the organization by providing effective leadership and serving as a model for and mentor to younger students. His PATHWAYS community project has been very successful. In recognition of his leadership and progress, Isaac’s project was the first selected to be listed on the Global Giving site (www.globalgiving.org/4923) and was successful in raising more than $10,000 and earning a permanent placement for PATHWAYS on Global Giving. Isaac’s project provides a school in his community that now includes a new building and library with solar power. Isaac is now serving his internship at the Provincial General Hospital in Kisumu, Kenya.