I desire to bring health solutions to people in need

“In this life, it takes a kind person to educate you. If you see someone sacrificing their finances to give the less fortunate an education, that is a special person.”

I desire to bring health solutions to people in need.

“My pursuit in the medical field is motivated by the drive to bring health solutions to the people in need. I have experienced the devastating impact of illness within my own family. My father succumbed to cancer on January 18th 2021. The following year, my uncle, dad’s younger brother, also succumbed to cancer. The pain of having lost such great men – who had molded and shaped me – has motivated me to study hard and throng myself in the medical field, hence my passion,” shares 20-year-old Emmanuel Ndumbi, a second-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing student at Moi University.

Emmanuel’s motivation for pursuing a career in the medical field goes beyond personal ambition; he aspires to improve the healthcare, financial, and social welfare situation back home. In 2016, after achieving a score of 397 out of 500 marks on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, he earned an admission at Nanyuki High School.

Emmanuel’s motivation for pursuing a career in the medical field goes beyond personal ambition; he aspires to improve the healthcare, financial, and social welfare situation back home. In 2016, after achieving a score of 397 out of 500 marks on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, he earned an admission at Nanyuki High School.

“The school was very far from home, and my parents could not raise the amount that was required for school fees,” he explains.

Kaumoni Boys Secondary School, just about 20 minutes-drive from their home – in Miw’ani village, Ukia ward in Makueni County, emerged as the optimal choice for Emmanuel. At that time, his sisters were pursuing their education. One was in Form Three, and the other one had recently completed the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations the previous year. A younger sister was in primary school and his eldest sister was a student at Lanet Teachers College in Nakuru.

His father, who has since passed away, served as a watchman at a local polytechnic in their hometown, while his mother dedicated herself to being a homemaker. “They could not manage to pay for the school fees.”

However, through the Office of the area chief, his mother obtained the Kenya Community Development Foundation(KCDF) scholarship application forms in December 2016. “The chief knew of my family situation, and that I stood to gain from the scholarship. I filled the forms and I was successful in my application.”

In January 2017, he successfully secured the Chandaria Foundation Education Scholarship offered in partnership with KCDF. This scholarship provided him with an annual financial support of Sh. 27,000 for his school fees, consistently and punctually. This assistance significantly alleviated the financial strain on his parents, as they only needed to manage the remaining fee balance.

“My parents really did their best. My uncles and aunties chipped in; I would also apply for the CDF bursaries. Being an election year, a member of county assembly (MCA) aspirant paid Sh. 7,000 for my school uniforms when I was joining Form One,” Emmanuel recollects.

Luckily, the school was providing textbooks, except for essential references like a Dictionary, Atlas, and Kamusi. “I would borrow from some of my classmates who were not making use of them at particular times”. As a result, he actively cultivated strategic relationships with his classmates to address this particular need.

Each year, Emmanuel would provide his academic results to KCDF, and they would conduct follow-up assessments to help him continually enhance his grades. “At one instance, Elly Onyango, the assistant programme officer for education at KCDF, reached out to inquire about any challenges I was facing while encouraging me to keep pressing on. This made me feel deeply valued and motivated”, he expresses.

In 2021, after the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) results were out, Emmanuel wrote an email to KCDF sharing his result slip and a letter of appreciation for the support that they had extended towards his secondary school education. Innately inclined toward STEM subjects, Emmanuel’s passion for Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry shone brightly, resulting in outstanding grades of A, B, A, and A-, respectively. His prowess extended to other subjects as well, earning him a B+ in English, A in Kiswahili, A in Geography, and a B+ in Business Studies. When all these achievements were combined, Emmanuel achieved an impressive A- mark with an aggregate of 79 points.

“I wanted to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery but I missed hitting the cut-off points with only one mark. I chose to do a Bachelor of Science in Nursing instead. My ultimate goal is to be a physician. I plan to still study medicine after I complete my nursing degree”.

To obtain such excellent grades, Emmanuel mastered the art of balancing his academic performance in various subjects. “I focused on night study sessions and maximized my productivity as there were no study sessions in the morning. Additionally, I maintained a strict weekend routine, summarizing notes and immersing myself in mathematics. Furthermore, I assumed the role of a study group leader on Saturday afternoons. As the chairperson of Family One, a group comprising 32 students from different streams, I organized our study sessions. We devised a method to allocate time wisely to each subject, taking advantage of our diverse knowledge. This collaborative learning environment enabled us to both teach and learn from one another, significantly boosting our collective academic progress”.

Determined, Emmanuel aimed at the stars. “I was aiming higher with a target of attaining an A plain which at the end was a deviation by 2 points. If you want to reach the moon, aim at the stars. So it was not badly off.”

He is now in the second year of his studies at Moi University where he relies on the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) annual loan of Sh.50,000. Out of this sum, Sh. 42,000 is allocated to cover his tuition fees, leaving him with the responsibility of managing his expenses for food, accommodation, and transportation, which he relies on his mother’s support to meet. “For me to sit the exam last semester, my mother had to source for the fees balance, Sh.15,000 from her sisters,” explains Emmanuel, the third-born in a family of four who lost his father two years ago, and is currently under the care of his mother.

Emmanuel’s family situation is quite challenging, with his two elder sisters enrolled in college, and his younger sister currently in her Form Four studies at Ukia Girls Secondary School in Makueni. As the sole breadwinner, his mother bears a heavy burden. To support himself through school, Emmanuel also seeks assistance from the Makueni County Government through tertiary education bursaries, receiving Sh8000 annually. His demanding nursing degree program leaves him with no spare time to pursue part-time employment to supplement his finances.

He cannot wait to complete his nursing degree, obtain his license, and embark on his professional career in healthcare. “I want to be able to go back to school after three to four years to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery or a Master of Science in Nursing. I will have known the path to take by then.” Becoming a philanthropist is one of his future goals. You see, I am a beneficiary of KCDF and I will want to be a benefactor and assist another needy student to access education through KCDF, he adds.

In his pursuit of education, Emmanuel has picked up some useful lessons. “In this life, it takes a kind person to educate you. If you see someone sacrificing their finances to give the less fortunate an education, that is a special person.”

He is motivated by outstanding people who have made it in life. Some of my lecturers are my role models. “Dr. Eren Oyungu, a healthcare practitioner, specializing as a Paediatrician (Paediatric Neurologist), in Eldoret West hospital and a lecturer at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret is someone I emulate. He is a very humble man, yet a very high-ranking consultant in the medical field.”

The Chandaria Foundation Education Scholarship has been a pedestal in his pursuit for academic excellence and a bright future. “This is a very good scholarship. It really helps. I was assured of Sh. 27,000 in school fees every year and it really motivated me. This peace of mind pushed me to really work hard and reciprocate through hard work and good performance.”

He is set out to be a benefactor in the near future. “I am on the right path and I believe that very soon I will be boosting the scholarship kitty to strengthen it so that it can reach needy students out there. If anyone out there is really touched by this scholarship; I urge them to join hands with KCDF and empower students to access education.”

He advises young people to steer off drunkenness, drug abuse and irresponsible sex; and instead positively redirect the same energy – to complete their education first. “As a young person you have a lot of time to correct and undo all your mistakes and do the right thing.”

At his free time, Emmanuel plays football, reads books and watches documentaries.