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| Vane Aminga, the founder of the Fly Sister Fly initiative. |
In Summary
2008 was a crucial year for her
because this was when she would join Form Four. She knew that her
performance in her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)
examinations would determine her future and she was determined to
perform exceptionally well so that she could join university.
It
was a dream that all her classmates at Starehe Girls Centre in Nairobi
shared and she had a feeling that it would come to pass for many of
them.
When schools reopened in January, however, she
noticed that not all her friends were back. One of them, a Samburu girl
called Diana Leparachau, had not reported.
Concerned,
because she was a close friend, Vane enquired about her whereabouts,
only to learn that her dear friend would not be reporting back to school
because she had been married off to an elderly man in her village, a
man old enough to be her father.
“I was sad and could
not believe it. My friend was academically gifted and had a bright
future ahead of her. I found it difficult to understand why her parents
would marry her of,” Vane says, a hint of sorrow in her voice.
STOLEN DREAM
Like
Vane, her friend was a sponsored student and would even be chartered to
and from Nairobi by private plane. Everything she needed, including
books and toiletries, was provided.
“We all envied her and wished that we too had a sponsor so generous,” the now 22-year-old recalls.
Throughout that year, Vane remained deeply troubled and her friend preoccupied her thoughts.
“I
imagined she was a sad wife because I knew how much she enjoyed
learning, as well as her desire for a successful career. It distressed
me that her dreams had been cut short by an early marriage.”
After
completing high school that year, Vane raised some money and travelled
to Samburu, (where she knew no one) on a mission to find her friend. She
hoped that somehow, she would be able to convince her guardians to
allow her to return to school.
Unfortunately, she did
not know the exact location her friend came from, and even though she
spent a week here, she was unable to trace her. But her stay was not in
vain. While her intention had been to save one girl’s future, she ended
up positively influencing the lives of tens of girls.
“I
discovered that girls in this area did not put much effort in school
because they knew it would all be in vain, for they would soon be
married off. My heart was saddened to learn that this was the norm, that
it was no big deal. The community had no regard for educating girls,”
she says.
Vane vowed to do something about it.
In
April 2011, while in her second year as a mechanical engineering
student at the University of Nairobi, Vane set up Fly Sister Fly, an
initiative aimed at encouraging Samburu girls to invest in their
education. To achieve greater impact, Vane approached several of her
fellow students with her vision and was glad when 15 of them bought into
the idea and agreed to join her cause.
That was then.
Now, they regularly travel to Samburu during the holidays to motivate
and inspire Samburu girls, encouraging them to pursue their studies to
the highest level possible. They pay their travel expenses by
contributing Sh200 every month. One of them comes from Samburu, so when
there, they stay at her home, thereby saving on accommodation costs.
Says
Vane, “Our mentorship activities have been made possible due to the
support we get from the local administration through the chief, who
introduces us to parents, teachers, and other people whom we need to
involve. Religious leaders too have been helpful.”
Fly
Sister Fly currently has enrolled 34 girls in its programme. The girls
qualified after winning a composition competition set up by Vane and her
friends. The pupils, who were then between classes Three and Six, are
from various primary schools in the area.
Besides
benefiting from direct mentoring, the girls also receive sanitary pads
from time to time, exercise and text books, and anything else that Vane
and her friends are able to mobilise. They also talk to them about
growing up and discuss topics such as puberty, menstruation and peer
pressure, as well as positive decision-making. They include the girls’
parents in their talks.
“If we don’t make the parents
understand the value of keeping their daughters in school, we’re
fighting a losing battle,” observes Vane.
In an effort
to ensure that the girls achieve academic success, the group has
collected 500 textbooks and novels, which now make up a library that not
only benefits the girls in the programme, but any other girl interested
in reading. The library, which they intend to expand, is located at
Girgir Primary School at Archers Post in Samburu.
Girls are free to visit over the weekend to either study or read novels.
Says
Vane, “It is so heart-warming to see girls in high school excitedly
read Class One story books because they have never read a story book
before.”
At the moment, the group runs its activities
through the help of friends and family. For example, a friend recently
donated Sh6,000, which was used to buy sanitary towels for the girls.
Other friends regularly donate exercise books and old shoes and clothes,
which are distributed to needy girls.
SPECIAL YEAR
So
far, the group has raised Sh40,000, a large part of which has come from
well-wishers. They plan to start an income-generating activity which
they hope will enable them to sustain and scale up their activities.
“Initially,
we had thought of starting a popcorn business in campus which we knew
would do well, but temporarily shelved the idea since we’re yet to get
authorisation from the administration. We’re now considering other
ideas,” says Vane.
This year is a special one for this
selfless young woman and her friends because it is the year the first
group of girls they mentor will be sitting for their Kenya Certificate
of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations. What is even more exciting is
the fact that they have secured full secondary school sponsorships for
five of the girls in their programme.
“One of our
parents is a principal at a high school in Limuru and every year, the
school allocates slots for needy students. She has committed to taking
in the top five girls from our Fly Sister Fly initiative,” says a
beaming Vane.
Reading about Vane, one might think she has had it all rosy growing up. But this is far from the truth.
She
grew up in Keroka, Kisii, and her parents were casual labourers who
struggled to feed their children. Therefore, they could hardly afford
school fees.
“Thankfully, I was never sent home due to
lack of school fees even when others were sent away because I was bright
and was a top pupil right from Standard One to Eight,” says Vane. For
this, she will always be grateful to her teachers.
After
doing her KCPE and passing well, Vane was admitted to Starehe Girls
Centre in Nairobi on a full scholarship. She performed well in her KCSE
and got admission to study mechanical engineering at the University of
Nairobi, where she currently is. She is able to pursue her studies
through the assistance of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), a
programme which helps needy undergraduate students to pay their fees.
Vane hopes to become a pilot.
“Kenya Airways offers
scholarships to study aviation. Once I complete my degree, I plan to
apply for this course under their scholarship programme. I hope I will
be selected.”
No doubt, she is a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it.
She
adds that her desire to help others is because she herself has always
been helped. For instance, her secondary school education was sponsored
by a German organisation called Rettet Das Kind.
“I
would not be where I am today had it not been for the generosity of
others. My parents and my teachers have also always believed in me and
that is why I am passionate about helping people. My desire is to give
back to society in any way possible that I can,” says this young woman,
who is a committee member of the Old Starehian Society, which is
involved in activities that help communities.
NOT ALONE
Fly
Sister Fly is composed of 15 members, all university students. Twelve
of them are from the University of Nairobi, two from Kenyatta
University, and one from Moi University. They all study different
courses, which include engineering, medicine, law, and business. The
group is made up of 10 women and five men.
Sylvia
Makario is a 22-year-old geospatial engineering student who says she
agreed to join Vane in her cause because she too is passionate about
helping others.
“My parents have always supported less
fortunate children and right now they are paying school fees for five
such children. I grew up in a home where compassion was evident and I
thank God for the values my parents instilled in me. I want to emulate
them and help the needy. That’s why I am a part of this initiative.”
Christopher Githaka says he did not think twice when Vane invited him to join.
“Helping
others has always been at the core of my heart and once I learnt about
Vane’s initiative, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it,” says the
Fourth Year mechanical engineering student.
He adds, “I
know the value of a good education, therefore there is nothing that is
as fulfilling to me as helping children with a bright future stay in
school,” he says.
Githaka, an alumni of Jamhuri High
School in Nairobi, also received a full scholarship for his secondary
education due to his academic brilliance.
“Once I
complete my degree and get a job, I will commit part of my salary to
support projects that will benefit the community at a greater level. My
desire is to impact society positively in any way that I can,” he says.
Would you want to find out more about Vane’s initiative?
Telephone: 0729 955 194
Email: flysisterflyfoundation@gmail.com
Facebook Page: Fly Sister Fly https://www.facebook.com/FlySisterFlyFoundation
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