Help Paul complete his bachelor degree

I am from a very humble family background of eight members headed by a single, old and illiterate mother who depends fully on livestock keeping for our livelihood. My late father was polygamous and thus our entire family totals up to twenty orphans and three widows. Coming from a family where the future is not promising, I have always embraced education whole heartedly since I believe my future depends on it .I was born and raised in Mbirikani village ,southern part of Kajiado County. The community I come from has always been rated with high levels of Illiteracy and teenage pregnancies. This is because, from way back education in our community has never been valued and therefore parents preferred having their sons go for herding and marrying off their girls at a tender age. This has killed the dreams of many potential young boys and girls. Having undergone this whole process which was a requirement for all boys, I never lost hope for pursuing education. I had to start schooling at a later age than the normal required age as per the Kenyan education system.

My education journey has been a struggle and full of challenges. Since in my primary level, my mother has not been able to cater for my education needs. Severally, I had to drop out of school to seek for casual jobs such as harvesting crops in farms so as to pay for my school fees. Despite the challenges, I was able to complete my O' level education successfully, although with a grade that was not pleasing and I believed that it was not my ability.

Age has never been a factor to hinder me from chasing my dreams. I decided to prove my ability by enrolling for a diploma course in NGO management and thereafter an advanced diploma in project planning and management. I sourced my fee from government bursaries, well-wishers and my salary from a contract job I had secured from one of the NGOs. My thirst for education never stopped there.

The competition I was encountering in the market pushed me to further my studies by enrolling for a bachelor’s degree course in development studies with a specialization in project planning and management at Management University of Africa in 2019. This has been my toughest academic journey. The contract job I was depending on ended and the government reduced bursary amount for University students. I tried to seek for scholarships but all without a success. This became a big blow to my academics since I was now a full grown man with a family, more responsibilities and no job. I had to differ after studying for one year to seek for casual jobs in order to cater for my family and save for my fees. Despite the hard work, I did not manage to raise the fees required. I was forced to sell my only piece of land that I had inherited from my late father to pay for my education. The amount I raised was able to sustain me in the university until my second year. It really sadness my heart that I am unable to complete my degree and graduate because of financial challenges. Education is the only hope I have in life. Out of our big family of 20 children, only I and my two step brothers managed to study to the O level. The extreme poverty and low level of education in our family is something I hope to change through my education.

The main reason for seeking for funds raising is to assist me to complete my degree course successfully for the remaining two academic years, with the hope that this degree will equip me with more knowledge in life, career field, and help me get a job so as to accomplish my long-term dreams.

Being granted this support is like lighting a room which was full of darkness. The joy that will feel my heart will be beyond explanation. Through this support I will be able to complete my degree and graduate successfully after working hard and waiting patiently for many years. This achievement will be a positive impact not only for me but for my family, community and the world. Will use the knowledge and skills acquired from specialization of my course to fulfill my dreams and prayers by holding any person's hand who would be undergoing through a difficult situation in life just like mine. This will only be a success though this support. Will always strive to empower young men and women in order to reduce the poverty levels that hinder them from achieving their goals. Will create awareness on disadvantages of polygamous marriages which sometimes strains unstable families contributing to high number of unlearned generation and high poverty levels. Will also encourage learners to embrace education and chase their dreams regardless of the challenges encountered. If considered and offered any kind of support, I will really appreciate and receive it with so much gratitude.