Nasibo’s Story

“Sometimes we could not afford paraffin at 10 shillings (less than 10 cents),
whereby I was unable to do my homework at night.”

Nasibo is the youngest of 6 children. Neither of her parents attended school at any level, and the family’s income was hit or miss. Despite this, Nasibo worked hard and faithfully attended primary school. 

“When you are in lower primary, you don’t think much about how you will join high school. The routine is going to school, coming back and playing. That is the routine. After the lower classes, you get to class 7 and class 8 and it hits you: Okay, what are you going to do after class 8? That is when the stress starts setting in. You start thinking, okay, what is the next step? There was only a slight chance I might join high school.

I used to think I wouldn’t continue my education; I would get married early, and I would have many kids. I would be fully dependent on my husband. It is the routine way of thinking about life. Without Daraja, maybe I would be a housewife with as many as 4 kids, living that difficult life. Potentially with an abusive husband. But when I joined Daraja, I started changing. I started thinking, What if I become that lady who depends wholly on herself instead of being dependent? I told myself to stop thinking so much about marriage and kids and, instead, think about finishing Form 4 and going to college. As a student, my advice to my classmates was to work hard because this was the only chance in our life.

Daraja made me the Nasibo I am today. Especially WISH class. WISH is where you are taught courage. It is where you are taught to stand for yourself, to be patient and driven. When I interviewed for Daraja, I was that quiet girl; I couldn’t even express myself. Now I know I have all it takes to stand in front of people and tell them what I feel, to guide them in the right route.”

Nasibo did well in school. She loved sports and science, and she spent many of her community service hours helping in hospitals and clinics. After graduation, she did well enough on her exams to receive funding to study at Wamba Nursing College. She now works at Isiolo County Referral Hospital as a General Nurse and a community health educator. She hopes soon to specialize in either reproductive health or kidney disease.

“Although I went through challenges, the fruit of education is something that you can see, something that you can feel, something that you can help other people with. Now I am employed, and I can support my parents. When someone has a health issue, I am the one taking them to the hospital. I am the one providing food and upkeep. But my parents are not the only beneficiaries. I have friends and relatives who are always there saying, ‘Oh Nasibo help us through this.’ So I think the fruit is being enjoyed by many.

I believe when you educate a girl—a single girl—you have improved the lives of many.”