My name is Hillary and I was born in the Ngando area. My family and I stayed there until we moved to Wanyee Road when I was about 10 years old. I have vivid memories of living with my parents and siblings and my father, a strict man, did not allow my mother to work, so she was a housewife while my father was a watch guard.
Growing up, my mother did not have much time for me as she was taking care of my younger siblings, so one day she left the house and I decided to explore the neighborhood. That’s when I encountered a group of friends playing at a school compound and I decided to join them. I later learned that this was where the Saturday program for Ngong Road Children’s Foundation was being held at that time. I kept on coming back until I was lucky to be selected for an interview. I passed the interview and joined the program in 2012 and at that time I was in grade 4.
Since then, I have achieved a lot academically and in other areas. I have received awards for good academic performances and I have also had the honor of serving as a leader during the camps held between 2017 and 2019. I did well in my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and I joined Dagoretti High School, a provincial-level boys’ high school in the Dagoretti area in 2017. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I completed high school a year later than I was to complete.
In September 2021, I joined Moi University to pursue a bachelor’s degree course in Social Work. I have a genuine passion for creating the best possible conditions for people’s success and that is why I chose this particular course. Before joining Moi University, I was trained as a Youth Peer Provider (YPP) by the program and I have since been facilitating Sexual Reproductive Health talks amongst my peers and younger students in the program. I take pride in knowing that I am directly contributing to raising awareness, especially among teenagers. I am currently the chairperson for the YPP group.
I am also currently on internship at Ngong Road Children’s Foundation under the Secondary department. I am fulfilled because I am not only putting into practice what I am learning in school but it is also a way for me to give back to the NRCF community. I aspire to complete my degree and hopefully take a master’s as I want to also become a lecturer. I am grateful to the NRCF program for impacting my life positively through the provision of quality education.