Hope in the midst of despair

“The scholarship alleviated my worries. It brought peace to my mind, and my academic performance experienced a remarkable surge.”

BENSON MWONGELA’S eyes are akin to glistening orbs, shining with an unwavering light of hope. They mirror an inner flame that dances in sync with his dreams and inspirations, illuminating his unwavering determination.

“If it were not for the support from the Chandaria Foundation Education Scholarship in partnership with KCDF, my future could have been doomed. I can see my future from now onwards. There is hope. A lot of hope,” expresses Benson, as his eyes radiate.

From an early age, Benson Mwongela, developed a keen awareness of the formidable adversities that cast a shadow over his family’s life. “Within my family, we may not be classified as the most vulnerable, but we undeniably face our fair share of hardships. Throughout our journey, we’ve weathered numerous life challenges”, says the 20-year-old Bachelor of Education student at Kenyatta University.

Money remained an ever-present concern, and Benson frequently witnessed his parents laboring tirelessly to bridge the gap between their income and expenses. “In terms of schooling, from what I can recollect, my elder brother achieved a C-minus mean grade in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Sadly, our parents were unable to support his college education, and as a result, he had to stay at home,” he goes on.

Since his early childhood, Benson’s parents have been actively involved in small-scale farming at their residence in Kituu village, situated in Kilungu subCounty within Makueni County. Their cultivation efforts primarily focused on kales, tomatoes, and cabbages, with the dual purpose of providing sustenance for the family and generating income through sales. “The climate in Makueni is generally harsh and during the dry season we would really struggle financially because there was no water to aid in irrigation farming.” Amidst the daunting challenges, his parents instilled in him a profound sense of resilience and unwavering determination, qualities that would ultimately serve as his guiding light.

In 2009, his father secured employment in Nairobi, a significant development for the family. “Nevertheless, this transition did not bring about a substantial change in our overall circumstances. At the time, I was attending Mutumbi Primary School, and recurrently, I found myself sent home due to unpaid tuition fees. Fortunately, none of us faced any major health issues during this period, and when illness did strike, it was never of a grave nature. God’s favor was consistently by our side during those challenging times”.

Unfortunately, upon completing his primary education in 2017, his father faced the unfortunate circumstance of losing his job. As the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results were unveiled, Benson had achieved an impressive 349 marks. Consequently, he received a letter of invitation to enroll at Kilungu Boys High School.

“The fact that my father didn’t have a job and that my mother was unable to even cater for our meals; leave alone school fees threw me into a dilemma. I couldn’t foresee attaining secondary education in the near future.”

But his primary school teachers, who had seen his self-discipline and academic potential fundraised from among themselves and raised his first term school fees.

For Benson, education had become his sanctuary, a realm where his imagination soared and his aspirations took flight. Despite the absence of privileges that many other students might have taken for granted, he never wavered in his dedication to his studies.

“I was diligently working hard despite the daunting challenges of inadequate tuition fees and insufficient food. I even made the journey to school barefooted on numerous occasions. There came a time when my teacher, Madam Philip, who has since retired, displayed a heartwarming gesture by gifting me a pair of shorts and shoes. It was an unforgettable moment, and I felt genuinely cherished, knowing that my teacher recognized and appreciated my steadfast discipline.” Benson was disciplined and had a role as a school prefect, a position he held from Class Four all the way through to Class Eight. His father’s friend bought him boarding items too: a mattress, a metallic box and shopped for other needed items. But even after he had joined Form One, his mind was not settled. “Every time I kept on thinking that I had only been funded for the first term and I couldn’t figure out how I would be able to manage my studies. I did not see any hope of ever completing school.”

Term Two came and Benson reported back to school empty handed. “I was sent back home. My parents approached my Member of Parliament the Kaiti MP Joshua Kimilu, who is now serving his second term. “He funded my second term fees. I could now sense some hope but there were some difficulties. My grandmother had been hospitalised for a long time and my parents were really struggling to meet the cost of her treatment.”

Fortunately, Benson had managed his First Term shopping carefully, ensuring that it continued to sustain him into the Second Term. However, when the Third Term arrived, he once again returned to school without the required fees. “During this period, my parents made efforts to pay in installments, but unfortunately, they were unable to settle the entire amount. In 2019, I found myself progressing to Form Two still burdened by a debt from my Form One year.”

Around mid-term, his father was introduced to KCDF by one of his friends. “My dad followed up and visited their offices on Ngong Road, Nairobi where he was given some forms which we filled and returned. They later called me for an interview, which I attended.”

THE WINGS TO SOAR

A few weeks later, he received communication that he had been offered the Chandaria Foundation education scholarship which cleared his entire school fees balance for Form two. “ I received a school fees cheque every year”.

In partnership with KCDF, the Chandaria Foundation education scholarship programme provides partial scholarship grants to students from vulnerable backgrounds through their secondary school.

“The scholarship alleviated my worries. It brought peace to my mind, and my academic performance experienced a remarkable surge. Consistently ranking among the top three students in my class became the norm. Life had become more manageable, and I poured my heart and soul into my studies.”

To Benson, the scholarship represented the ladder that would lift him out of the clutches of poverty and provide him with the wings to ascend to new heights. “My aspiration is to toil tirelessly, to escape the hardship I have known. I yearn for a life different from the one I had experienced – a life of abundance and comfort. I’m determined to bring about transformation in my life and extend a helping hand to my parents. I desired to see them reveling in the fruits of living in a modern, comfortable home, dressed in fine attire, and simply savoring the pleasures of life. They are in their 50s, and they have given their utmost for me. It’s my heartfelt wish to reciprocate by providing them with the very best.”

The efforts paid off. Benson transformed the E grade that he used to get in Mathematics while in Form One to a B+ in Mathematics in Form Four. He attained a B+ mean grade of 69 points in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2021.

Benson wanted to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing however the cluster points, cut him off. “Although there were some universities where I had qualified with my cluster points, when I did the application, I was placed at Kibabii University to pursue Bachelor of Science, Education. Considering the considerable distance from Makueni to Kibabii, my parents advised me to transfer to Kenyatta University (KU) instead, where I could pursue a Bachelor of Education in Science, specializing in Chemistry and Physics.”

He appreciates the far that he has come. “The scholarship has given me a head-start in life. My plan is to one day be a benefactor and support KCDF to help another needy student to access higher education.” His brother has also joined the National Youth Service (NYS) College in Nairobi where he is pursuing a certificate course in automotive engineering.

Benson is on a long school holiday and will be joining his first semester of his second year this September 2023. In this journey, his parents have offered him great motivation. “With the little that they have, and the love they have for me together with Chandaria Foundation and KCDF; they have been brave enough to support me in the pursuit of education.” He joined KU in September 2022, and his former school – Kilungu Boys High School sponsored him for first semester. He also got a laptop as a reward for having attained a B+ mean grade in KCSE.

In the second semester, his parents pooled their savings to cover the tuition fees, and Benson contributed the remaining balance from his income as an assistant science laboratory technician. “During the transitional period, spanning from May 2022 to August 2022, I was employed at my former school, earning a monthly income of Sh.7,000.”

He has also applied for a loan from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) , but he is yet to get assistance. He hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in an area he is still figuring out in the near future.