An Alum Give Back
One of the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic has been re-thinking of new ways of service delivery. For Tumaini in Kenya, a major concern was how to continue providing education to our candidate students after schools were closed indefinitely in mid-March. We knew it was critical to provide virtual education to the 12th graders, particularly at our Tumaini Girls High School as they prepare for exit exams in the coming months. We made this decision despite the fact that most students live in villages with limited or no internet access at all.
That is when we turned to Duncan for a solution. Duncan is an alumnus of our program and holds a computer science degree. The 26-year-old shares why he pursued this degree in the first place: “I chose this course because ever since I was young, I was always interested in solving computer problems. Also, when I finally met my sponsor Teresa when she was visiting Kenya years ago, she encouraged me to pursue my dream”. Duncan was sponsored from high school through the completion of his university studies. Looking back, he is lost for words on how he and his four siblings miraculously made it after losing both parents by 2006. “Tumaini intervened and sponsored the whole family. What a miracle! After completing grade 8, I attended one of the best boys high schools in our county where I completed grade 12 in 2013. After completing grade 12, I attained a good grade and pursued a degree in Computer Science.”
Today, Duncan is a proud owner of Jupiter Star Labs Ltd, a consulting firm in the Information and Technology field. Duncan’s company provides Tumaini in Kenya with IT equipment and technical support. He was therefore responsible for implementing the Tumaini Girls High School virtual learning program. In May he helped us roll out the program for our 12th-grade students and last week he launched the same for 11th-grade students as well. In this role, Duncan and his company provide the necessary training both to the teachers and students on how to use platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and WhatsApp for smooth and effective interaction. He also helped create accounts to limit smartphone users to only applications required during learning.
Duncan is the current President of the Tumaini Alumni Association, a position he has held with distinction. Together with his leadership team, they are actively working on various programs to create job opportunities for Tumaini alumni.
Thank you for sponsoring thousands of vulnerable children and turning them into amazing human beings who are changing the society in Kenya and beyond. If you would like to donate to our Alumni Fund, please do so TODAY so that we can train tomorrow’s Duncans.
Thank you for your amazing support!
Sincerely,
Stanley Mutunga
President & CEO
Today’s COVID-19 Update:
-6941 confirmed cases (increased by 1157, the highest in a week yet!)
-152 deaths (increased by 20 from a week ago)
-40 Counties (We are especially alarmed by the spread to the poorest neighborhoods)
We continue to serve the children and their families and are grateful that no Tumaini sponsored children, families, and staff have gotten sick. Praise God!