ANN WAMBUI- A GEOLOGIST

Ann Wambui  proudly stands with her husband and two children.

Ann Wambui’s Family

Ann Wambui’s Family

She was sponsored from 9th grade through the University of Nairobi by BEADS for Education.  She graduated from college in 2014 with a B.S. in geology.  

“My mother was the best tea picker in Kenya, but she did not earn enough money to support us. She had to send me to live with a guardian. I graduated top of my class in 8th grade. Everyone was so happy for me BUT I was so sad. I cried many nights because I had no hope of going to high school and certainly not the university because my mother did not have money for school fees.  Then a miracle happened.  I received a BEADS sponsorship to pay my school fees  - and I sang with joy.  If it were not for BEADS I would have been married off as young as 13 into a life of poverty,” Ann reminisces.   

After graduation,  I worked  for different private geological firms honing my skills and developing my experience. At the same time,  I was balancing taking care of my family and mentoring programs to encourage young people to study hard and aim for success. I believe mentoring younger students is a role I must always continue to repay the success that I have gained through BEADS for Education.  

Ann Wambui’s work gear (Hard Hat)

Ann Wambui’s work gear (Hard Hat)

Now I am  passionate geologist and the CEO of ANSA GEOSOLUTIONS LTD.  As a mother of two and a career woman I started my consultancy firm which focuses on Geotechnical solutions for all Engineering designs.  I have two offices and hope to open more.  For me, this has been a great achievement as it has enabled me to balance family, career and church ministry. This bold step I can attribute  to the training and great guidance I received from BEADS FOR EDUCATION.  From BEADS, I was taught to be courageous, to take that big step in life despite our poor back grounds and that this life offers equal opportunities for both male and female. One just has to take the step to pursue their dreams. My advice to any young person who is starting their career is be passionate about what you pursue - to be open minded and to keep moving.  It will not be straight path.  But all through one should keep moving.   If you can't run ---walk.  If you can’t walk ---crawl.  As long as you keep moving, you are making steps in the right direction.  To the young women and girls know that marriage and family are more important than a career.  Be passionate about your career but always put your family first.  I am committed to help my 4 siblings, their families and my dear old  mother.  Remember, after all is said and done,  we all go back to our families. Supporting our families, emotionally and financially, is probably the most important thing we do in life. Thank you for this opportunity to submit my background for Women's History Month

Ann Wambui Written by Ann Wambui for BEADS for Education and USAID women's history month - March 2020

Rachael E. Msoka

I am Rachael E. Msoka, and have just graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine from the University of Nairobi. I am from a Tanzanian and have 4 siblings but I am the only one who got a chance to access good education. When my father died on a road accident, I was very young. My mother could not support the whole family and my aunt offered to take me with her to Kenya. One of my sisters ended up marrying at a tender age and our third born later did the same. Ours was a struggle to make ends meet.

Although I was too old, about 12 years, I entered primary school. This was my only chance to learn English, the language used in all Kenyan schools,  since I only spoke my mother tongue. I knew the fees, personal effects  stationary was a challenge for my aunt, but she found a way. To everyone's surprise, including mine, I did very well in primary school and was admitted to Moi Girls' Secondary School in Kajiado.

It was only with the good fortune of a BEADS sponsorship that I was able to enroll and finish high school and continue to medical school. I am honored and humbled by the efforts of BEADS for Education and my sponsors and will always do my best to use my skills wisely and help as many people as I can - especially the needy women.

Thank you,

Rachael

Rachael's Graduation Ceremony

Rachael's Graduation Ceremony

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Leyian Meteine

Leyian, her father, mother and uncle celebrate her university graduation.

Leyian, her father, mother and uncle celebrate her university graduation.

Leyian's father is a traditional Maasai man in Kenya with four wives and 24 children.  When Leyian finished 8th grade her father was ready to find her husband. He said, "Educated girls don't do their chores or help their families." 

Her father was impressed when Leyian always helped the family through high school and the university -  and then he decided to send all of his children (boys and girls) to school.

BEADS donations provided school fees for Leyian. 

Sinet Florence Nasoore

Sinet Florence Nasoore was the first girl sponsored by BEADS for Education. She was twelve years old at the time, and her father was searching for her husband. Read Florence's account of the plans for her Marriage.

Through a series of meetings, Florence's parents were convinced to allow her to continue school with the help of a sponsorship. She turned out to be an excellent student and a gifted athlete, one of the fastest runners in her region.

In 2000, she became the first girl in her family to attend high school. She graduated with honors and qualified for University. She participated in the BEADS Intern program, and graduated from the University of Nairobi in 2010 with a B.A. in Education as a Math & Science Teacher.

Florence is writing oral histories as part of our first BEADS book, and she has applied to teach math and science at a local high school.

Being the first BEADS-sponsored girl, Florence felt the weight of expectation, and she has succeeded wonderfully. Everyone in her family and at BEADS is so proud of her. She is an inspiration to the entire community. Way to go, Florence!

Sanaipei Lolkinyiei

SANAIPEI, A SUCCESS STORY

 

by Tony Foltman & Terese Lyons

 

Sanaipei Loice Lolkinyiei. Sanaipei. Her name was given to her by her mother, Tayiana, and it means “the most successful woman in Maasailand.” How could Tayiana possibly have known?

            We began to sponsor Sanaipei’s education through BEADS in March 2006. Little did we know the journey we would be sharing with her.

            We first met our “daughter” in November 2006 at Enkongu Narok Primary School near Amboseli National Park. It was a remarkable and memorable moment. Sanaipei and her mother standing in front of the school; Tayiana, speaking only her Maa language but translated by Sanaipei, said “we give her to you because you can do so much more for her.”  Such a wondrous gift: a young girl yearning for education, possessing the necessary talent and skill, and holding wonderful visions for her future. This was and is a great responsibility. We have shared it and her with her parents ever since. We have become her American “Mum and Dad.”

            Such a daughter. Visionary, dedicated, hardworking. Her letters were a delight to read. She was always “striking while the iron is hot.” And she was always as grateful to us “as a blind beggar who happened to pick a ten-cent coin on the road and think he would be a rich man.”

            We shared her progress through Kimana Secondary School near her home. She was always near or at the top of her class. And always so grateful for the opportunity to go to school.

            In 2009 she graduated from Kimana and we made our second trip to Kenya to celebrate with her and her family. It was a grand celebration at her home with roasted goat, and singing and dancing by the women and the young warriors. Both sets of parents were so proud! But it was bittersweet, because we had to leave, and as we did, we saw Sanaipei crying a bit in the dusk.

            Always ahead of us in her thinking and vision, she had decided she wanted to become a Clinical Officer. Clinical Officers are providers of medical care throughout Kenya. It would require that she attend college for four years to earn a Diploma in Clinical Medicine, Surgery and Community Health. It is a difficult program.

            While we were looking at different Universities on the internet, Sanaipei had already chosen Kenya Methodist University in Meru. She asked for our approval and when we questioned her reasoning she responded with a carefully thought-out rationale. We could do nothing but concur with her decision.

            She began her medical studies at KeMU in 2010. She excelled in her classes and exams and we reveled in her letters. She was so excited, having so much fun learning. We could also sense in her letters her growing maturity and vision. It was unbelievable to us what was happening with our new “daughter.” Gradually, her letters and emails to us were to “Mum and Dad.”  Just as gradually, she became our “Daughter.”  We share her with Tayiana and Lolkinyiei, her father. We are as proud of her as if she were our own flesh and blood.

            She graduated from KeMU in 2013, but the graduation ceremony was in July 2014. We made our third trip to Kenya. Yet another memorable day! Thousands of people descended on the KeMU campus. Our Sanaipei, in traditional Maasai dress, simply glowed. The night before we had dined with her family and they had provided us with traditional Maasai wear as well. We were one big, colorful, Maasai family.

            We left the next day with Sanaipei for a three-day trip to Lake Naivasha Country Club, our graduation gift to her. We had a wonderful time by ourselves talking about her family and experiences. And her vision for the future.

            After Lake Naivasha, we headed to her home in Kimana for another celebration. One that was even more grand than we could have envisioned.

            That morning we bought a she-goat for Tayiana. The goat was feisty, but our trusty Maasai guide, Joshua, got her into the Land Rover for the drive to Sanaipei’s  father’s boma. Once there, we were amazed at the preparations. Tents, a sound system and, it seemed, everyone in town was there. This WAS a big event. No Maasai woman from this community had ever graduated from University.

            As six years before, there was much traditional food, singing and dancing. And speeches! Many, many speeches in Maa, Swahili and our few words in English. Then came the gifts: 16 goats, two cows, and a parcel of land from her father. A remarkable showing of appreciation for all her success. Several hours passed so quickly. We could never have imagined ten years earlier that our simple sponsorship of a young girl could lead to this.

            During this visit, Sanaipei was a Clinical Officer Intern at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. She gave us a tour of the hospital and impressed us with her poise, knowledge and skills. We met several of her supervisors who spoke highly of her. We, of course, were quite proud!

            She has now completed her internship and in February 2015 received her Licence to practice as a Clinical Officer. She is starting her medical career; yet still, in the future after gaining some practical experience, she intends to return to university for more medical training. Her vision now is to pursue a Ph.D. and teach in medicine. We have no doubt that she will continue to be successful. And we will be there with her as she goes forward.

            In 2006, she told us of her vision to go to university and to visit the United States. We promised her that if she worked hard and abided by all BEADS rules, we would pay for her education. And a visit to the US as well! She now has her passport and US visa and is excitedly anticipating coming to Santa Fe, New Mexico this summer where we will welcome her into our own home, as we have been welcomed into her home so many times before.

            We agree with Tayiana. Sanaipei is indeed “the most successful woman in Maasailand.”  And, maybe, beyond!

Florence Maina

Florence Maina began her sponsorship in 1998. If she had not stayed in school, she would have most likely been forced to marry as a young teenager, and become one of several wives of a much older man.

Florence worked very hard in school and graduated from high school with the desire to go to college. She joined the first group of BEADS Interns, where she taught elementary school in a rural Kenyan village.

She went on to college, graduated with a degree in social work and became a teacher, thanks to her interning experience.

In 2007, she went to a church function and met Henry, one of the ministers. They were soon engaged and got married in 2008. Today, they have young son named Blessed, and Florence is the head of school at a small elementary school near Isinya.

We are so proud of Florence and the life she has made for herself. Congratulations, Florence, on a beautiful family and a job well done!