THE STORY OF ISHMAEL MOHAMED – LFS ALUMNI
By Dr. Reuben Nzuki
Background:
Ishmael came to Life Frontier the day it started, being one of the first seven pupils in standard one class in 1998. They were brought from Madogo on a land rover ride to the room we had hired as a class, next to our office. They were offered benches to sit on and school uniform shirts were issued. But we noted he still chose sitting on the floor and removed the shirt. We wanted to find out why he preferred the floor and naked chest. In an innocent attitude and broken Kiswahili language he said; “The bench is hard to sit on and the shirt is hot so I feel cool without!” He was older than the rest of his classmates but did not feel out of place. No humanly reasonable means by which, one could project how he would turn out in life.
Although everything and everyone was new to him, he was not deterred to learn and fitted well, within the growing number of pupils in the class. As pressure from some of the education systems increased to close the school venue in Garissa, he was among the now about 14 kids that moved temporally to a church venue in Madogo. He did not have to rise very early to catch the vehicle although he missed the drive just like the rest who hailed from the same community. Finally the school moved to its permanent new campus in Madogo. His performance in class was not as good but he was determined to learn. By the time he was in class three, he was competing for the top five positions, beating many who had grown up exposed to education. We left Garissa in 2002 for Nairobi when he was in class five and Joan kept in touch because she was managing the sponsorship fund for the kids who included him.
In early 2006, we got a phone call from him while in Kiambere – Embu. He said he had gotten a high school for himself because he did not wish to learn in Madogo where education competition was poor. He said he did not want to be influenced by the rest of the young people from the community. He concluded by sending Joan an MPESA number to send fees. We did not have an opportunity to think how we were to raise the fees for four years. But because of the confidence he had on us, we trusted God that we would get enough money to pay for him as we paid for our own children. At the beginning of every term, we were aware of that phone call asking that we send fees. Four years went very fast and at last Ishmael had cleared high school in 2009 and went back to Madogo to wait for results. This was the last time we heard from him until we met four years later during the first alumni convention on 24th December 2013.
The story he shared during the convention:
As share in the Alumni convention report, every alumni was given a chance to tell their names; past and present in case they changed, their journey since they left LFS, what they are doing, their challenges and dreams.
He started by saying he changed his name from Ishmael Mohamed to Mohamed Ishmael. Then we went ahead to narrate his journey after he left LFS in 2005:-
He met someone in Madogo who told him about the Kiambere Boys High School and even gave him a note to take to the school. He went to his uncle and got money for bus fare. He came until Nairobi then boarded a vehicle to Embu; a town had had never visited before and asked the driver to drop him when they arrive. Unfortunately he was dropped in Mwea – halfway and on discovering he had not arrived got into another one that took him to Embu. From Embu he had another journey to the school location. Due to the travelling challenges, he arrived around 5pm after the school office had closed.
At the gate, the security guard refused him to enter even after insisting. A lone teacher in the compound came to check what was happening and after reading the note he was given by the person they met while in Madogo, he told him that he cannot be admit at that time because the school office was closed. But he advised him to go to the villages around the school to find a place to sleep and return the following morning. He went to the community that was afraid of this Somali young man due to security concern. He slept on a veranda and returned to the school the following morning. Admission went on well and on seeing the opportunity only that he had no fees, he only thought of calling “Mama James” – Joan; the lady who helped him through primary education. On being assured of fees, he faithfully went through the four years’ high school. After clearing, he went back to Madogo with a determination that he wanted to work for himself than bother Joan or anyone else with college education.
Business acumen:
Butchery: On return to Madogo, he went back to his uncle who gave him one cow. He thought of running goat meat butchery business idea that he wanted to venture in. So he took it to the market and from the proceeds rented space, bought butchery tools and a goat. After it was sold out he went to buy another and onward the butchery provided capital to expand.
Bodaboda: in order to improve steams of income, he ventured into the bodaboda business. This is a public motorcycle business that he financed by returns from the butchery and monies earned from a short term contract with Kenya’s electoral body. After making stable income, he then enrolled in a college on a Nutrition health course, paying for himself.
College lecturer: Using the knowledge gained from the university course, in a local college in Garissa, he stated to teach health related courses during the periods he is not in class where he earns some extra income.
Consultant: A drought monitoring NGO started to hire him for 10 days a month. They sent him to different districts in the ASAL region. This brings him more cash.
A typical day runs from 5am in the morning when he rises early to go to the abattoir to get the meat for his butchery, with the rest of the day busy in different chores. It ends at 1am when he is through with his college class assignments.
Due to the improved income, he has been educating his five sisters in addition to himself and supports the family. He asked for some donor finances so that he can slow down to finish his studies.
This was a very challenging story for many of those who came; of a young man from the extreme remote life to one who knows what he wants and engages well with opportunities. Many of the alumni were challenged especially those who have been sitting waiting for handouts particularly those from Madogo.
Conclusion:
This is a success story of a camel herd’s boy transformed through Christian values and now impacting his own community.
By Dr. Reuben Nzuki
Background:
Ishmael came to Life Frontier the day it started, being one of the first seven pupils in standard one class in 1998. They were brought from Madogo on a land rover ride to the room we had hired as a class, next to our office. They were offered benches to sit on and school uniform shirts were issued. But we noted he still chose sitting on the floor and removed the shirt. We wanted to find out why he preferred the floor and naked chest. In an innocent attitude and broken Kiswahili language he said; “The bench is hard to sit on and the shirt is hot so I feel cool without!” He was older than the rest of his classmates but did not feel out of place. No humanly reasonable means by which, one could project how he would turn out in life.
Although everything and everyone was new to him, he was not deterred to learn and fitted well, within the growing number of pupils in the class. As pressure from some of the education systems increased to close the school venue in Garissa, he was among the now about 14 kids that moved temporally to a church venue in Madogo. He did not have to rise very early to catch the vehicle although he missed the drive just like the rest who hailed from the same community. Finally the school moved to its permanent new campus in Madogo. His performance in class was not as good but he was determined to learn. By the time he was in class three, he was competing for the top five positions, beating many who had grown up exposed to education. We left Garissa in 2002 for Nairobi when he was in class five and Joan kept in touch because she was managing the sponsorship fund for the kids who included him.
In early 2006, we got a phone call from him while in Kiambere – Embu. He said he had gotten a high school for himself because he did not wish to learn in Madogo where education competition was poor. He said he did not want to be influenced by the rest of the young people from the community. He concluded by sending Joan an MPESA number to send fees. We did not have an opportunity to think how we were to raise the fees for four years. But because of the confidence he had on us, we trusted God that we would get enough money to pay for him as we paid for our own children. At the beginning of every term, we were aware of that phone call asking that we send fees. Four years went very fast and at last Ishmael had cleared high school in 2009 and went back to Madogo to wait for results. This was the last time we heard from him until we met four years later during the first alumni convention on 24th December 2013.
The story he shared during the convention:
As share in the Alumni convention report, every alumni was given a chance to tell their names; past and present in case they changed, their journey since they left LFS, what they are doing, their challenges and dreams.
He started by saying he changed his name from Ishmael Mohamed to Mohamed Ishmael. Then we went ahead to narrate his journey after he left LFS in 2005:-
He met someone in Madogo who told him about the Kiambere Boys High School and even gave him a note to take to the school. He went to his uncle and got money for bus fare. He came until Nairobi then boarded a vehicle to Embu; a town had had never visited before and asked the driver to drop him when they arrive. Unfortunately he was dropped in Mwea – halfway and on discovering he had not arrived got into another one that took him to Embu. From Embu he had another journey to the school location. Due to the travelling challenges, he arrived around 5pm after the school office had closed.
At the gate, the security guard refused him to enter even after insisting. A lone teacher in the compound came to check what was happening and after reading the note he was given by the person they met while in Madogo, he told him that he cannot be admit at that time because the school office was closed. But he advised him to go to the villages around the school to find a place to sleep and return the following morning. He went to the community that was afraid of this Somali young man due to security concern. He slept on a veranda and returned to the school the following morning. Admission went on well and on seeing the opportunity only that he had no fees, he only thought of calling “Mama James” – Joan; the lady who helped him through primary education. On being assured of fees, he faithfully went through the four years’ high school. After clearing, he went back to Madogo with a determination that he wanted to work for himself than bother Joan or anyone else with college education.
Business acumen:
Butchery: On return to Madogo, he went back to his uncle who gave him one cow. He thought of running goat meat butchery business idea that he wanted to venture in. So he took it to the market and from the proceeds rented space, bought butchery tools and a goat. After it was sold out he went to buy another and onward the butchery provided capital to expand.
Bodaboda: in order to improve steams of income, he ventured into the bodaboda business. This is a public motorcycle business that he financed by returns from the butchery and monies earned from a short term contract with Kenya’s electoral body. After making stable income, he then enrolled in a college on a Nutrition health course, paying for himself.
College lecturer: Using the knowledge gained from the university course, in a local college in Garissa, he stated to teach health related courses during the periods he is not in class where he earns some extra income.
Consultant: A drought monitoring NGO started to hire him for 10 days a month. They sent him to different districts in the ASAL region. This brings him more cash.
A typical day runs from 5am in the morning when he rises early to go to the abattoir to get the meat for his butchery, with the rest of the day busy in different chores. It ends at 1am when he is through with his college class assignments.
Due to the improved income, he has been educating his five sisters in addition to himself and supports the family. He asked for some donor finances so that he can slow down to finish his studies.
This was a very challenging story for many of those who came; of a young man from the extreme remote life to one who knows what he wants and engages well with opportunities. Many of the alumni were challenged especially those who have been sitting waiting for handouts particularly those from Madogo.
Conclusion:
This is a success story of a camel herd’s boy transformed through Christian values and now impacting his own community.
