Boy set to achieve high school dream as help pours in

Kenyans of goodwill have continued to show interest in assisting a needy boy from Murang’a County join high school.

The plight of 16-year-old Collins Macharia from Kayuyu village in Mathioya was first highlighted by Nation.co.ke on Monday January 20, 2014.

(READ: Boy’s hope to join high school marred by lack of fees)

Immediately, well-wishers both locally and in the diaspora started sending inquiries on how they could assist the needy learner.

The boy has sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam three times but due to lack of school fees, he has never been able to proceed to secondary school.

Following the enquiries, Nation Media Group’s corporate affairs department has created a Safaricom M-PESA Pay Bill account Number 500944 under the account name ‘Macharia’.

The student has been admitted to Njumbi High School in Murang’a.

BANK ACCOUNTS

Those willing to help can deposit money directly to the school accounts at Equity Bank (account number: 0030201549655 for general fees) and Kenya Commercial Bank (account number 1104831966 for uniform fees).

Despite having scored 352 marks out of a possible 500 marks in the 2013 KCPE exam, the soft spoken but confident Macharia has resorted to breaking gravel stones as a way of raising school fees to join a village polytechnic.

Macharia’s mother Charity Wangari, 41, is disabled and single and she cannot manage to engage in menial labor to pay for her son’s secondary school education.

The boy’s grandmother, 65-year-old Mary Muthoni also has a disability on her legs and walks with help of a crutch.

SAT KCPE THREE TIMES

The resilient teenager first sat his KCPE in 2011 and managed to score 286 marks but his teachers were able to convince him to repeat class eight so as to possibly score higher marks and secure scholarship.

The following year, in 2012, despite the biting poverty and challenges, he scored 331 marks and got admission to Njumbi Boys High School but again he lacked school fees. He could not proceed to high school.

Again, his teachers prevailed upon the pupil to repeat so as to possibly score more than 350 marks in the hope of getting local sponsorship.

They argued that several banks and institutions supporting needy school children in the county were mostly assisting those with 350 marks and above.

If Macharia managed to achieve that, then he would possibly get help and pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.

The unrelenting boy, full of hope and determination, sat the national exam another year and true to his promise, he scored 352 marks in 2013.
But despite hope that he would get help, none was forthcoming.

ONLINE ENQUIRIES

Following the Monday story, dozens of Kenyans said they were ready to assist the boy fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor and enquired how they could help.

Mr Zablon Kiruki a Kenya living in Geneva, Switzerland posted on his Facebook page: “Dear friends, I have read this story and have felt that I should help this young man to go to high school, please if you are touched by the story join me to take Macharia to High school”.

He also made a call to this writer and asked how he could help while several of his friends responded on Facebook saying they were willing to chip in.

Another Kenyan Lucy Alexander said: “I would like to help young Collins Macharia. How can I get in touch with him? I would like to get in touch with the school that admits him to be sure tuition is paid”.

James Sitati posted on You Tube: “Please provide details on how we can help this young man.

Thank you so much for taking time to post this story.

This young man and his family are part of the reason why l still have hope for our country Kenya”.

“Give us the information; we need to help this boy. I would like to donate,” said nemos422s on You Tube.