Our Impact

My name is Judy Mutile, I am the last born in a family of four children. I was born and raised in a community called Mukuru in Nairobi Kenya that happens to be the second largest informal settlement.

Growing up in Mukuru wasn’t easy for me especially my younger years. It was tough. I grew up knowing a lot which was too much for my age due to the environment that I was in. Violence and alcoholism in Mukuru were the order of the day and it was perceived to be normal. This was due to poverty and overpopulation in the area. I attended a public school called Mukuru Community Centre but missed most of my school days because my mother couldn’t really afford to take my three siblings and I to school. Sometimes I would stay at home being the youngest to let my elder two sisters and a brother attend school. I didn’t know my father since I never saw him even a single day at home.

Micato-Americashare used to be our frequent visitors in the school I attended. Whenever I saw the vans drive into our school, I knew it was going to be a good day because the guests always brought us sweets and candy which was rare for me and probably all the other kids. So, we would sing and dance in great joy.

I was only 8 years when I got enrolled to a very nice boarding school in the outskirts of Nairobi. The transition wasn’t really easy for me since I was very young. Joining a boarding school at a young age but with all the excitement and urge to learn, I got used to it and so my journey to a new life begun. I got more time to study, explore and dream in boarding school and have little time to worry. Life was very nice in boarding school as opposed to schooling in Mukuru where I could hardly get time to study since I lacked books and also, we didn’t have electricity at home. Getting food was also a nightmare back at home since my mother couldn’t afford three meals a day due to her meagre income. Boarding school was very nice and I had enough time to study with the help of teachers who monitored us. I studied for extra four hours outside the class timetable and during holidays, I would study for four hours with my friends at home during the day.

My sponsors supported me all through primary and high school and I am currently at the university pursuing a degree course in corporate communication and management. The journey has been tremendous, and I am really grateful for the opportunity to go to school.

My name is Eric Luchu. I was born and raised in Mukuru slums in Nairobi. I am the first born in a family of four, I have two brothers and an adopted sister. We all live in a single room house made from iron sheets together with my parents. I was ten years old when I joined the Micato sponsorship programme. Before then, I used to study in a public primary school called as Embakasi Garrison that was quite far from home. I was supposed to board a bus so as to get to school but sometimes bus fare proved to be a great hurdle.

Life in boarding school after joining Micato-AmericaShare was enjoyable since I had ample time to study and was assured of meals thrice a day. Micato-AmericaShare took me to Mt Sinai CMI school and this is where I became a dormitory and dining hall captain. While living at home when I was in day school, I would study for only two hours a day but when I joined boarding school, I would study for at least four hours because I got motivated at school and I didn’t have to worry so much about school fees and food.

I also have a great affinity to be at the top of anything I do and in the future, I aspire to become a pilot and travel the world. I am currently at the university and pursuing a degree course in innovation technology management.. Being part of the sponsorship program has really helped me since I can fluently speak English and Swahili due to the good education I got right from the best primary and high school that I attended, courtesy of Micato-Americashare. I am glad that through this sponsorship, I will be able to support my parents and siblings and hopefully give my younger siblings quality education too.