Erick goes to School

Erick is the fourth born in a family of six. His father is deceased and that leaves his mother as the sole breadwinner. She sells vegetables and washes for people clothes in nearby well-to-do neighborhoods to make ends meet, this is however unstable. She depends on well wishers to support her four children in school. Two in High School, two in Primary.

Ericks journey to High School is a unique one. He had applied for the CoKF Scholarship but was not successful; after exploring all alternative organizations given to him in a list, he was not lucky too. By this stage, time was first running out and his mother had nowhere else to fall back to.

This situation was first becoming a unique one out of the many I get to deal with on a day to day basis in the office. The numerous visits Erick and his mother made to our office despite the gone chance of scholarship, the persistence of his mother, the desperation on his face and the hunger to learn in Erick’s eye got my mind in a spin.

I visited equity bank Kibera branch and launched an appeal to the operations manager-Jane Apiyo who after consultation with her fellow workmates did an impromptu fundraising that managed to carter for his first term’s fees and school uniform, with help of other friends we managed to get him shoes and modest personal effects. Thank you very much to all the staff at Equity bank Kibera branch for your help.

We were able to beat the admission deadline and enrolled him at Pumwani high School on Monday, the 14^th day of February.

Erick is now in school, very grateful but not in a comfort zone for he knows not where his second term’s Fees will come from.

‘ My journey into becoming an Engineer has begun on a Valentine’s Day, the best Love gesture one can ever experience in life, I will be forever grateful’

(Erick Otieno)

Mama Erick, Jane and Erick

Erick together with the staff at Equity Kibera Branch