Embassy's gift of learning

A young kenyan student has received an unexpected reward for years of hard study from a country he says he knows very little of

Samson Wawaru was born in Kawangware, a slum in Nairobi, without the ability to see past three meters. As a child, he could only recognize colors and loosely make out people's faces. At school, Wawaru learned through his ears.

"I could only listen in class," the 23 year old says. "During exams, teachers asked me questions and I uttered my answers."

At the age of 8, after experiencing pain in both his eyes, his vision worsened. On spending two weeks in Kenyatta National Hospital, doctors concluded that he would not be able to see again.

Fortunately, doctors referred Wawaru to the Kenya Society for the Blind. With the organization's help, he was admitted at the age of 9 to Kilimani Primary School, a school for children with visual impairments about seven kilometers from his home.

After learning to read Braille in his first year, he started primary school in 2001. A couple of years later, his mother sent him to a boarding school almost 300 kilometers northeast of Nairobi in Meru.

It was in Meru that Wawaru began to dream of bigger things, like attending a university.

"I told my mother of my dreams and she said you could be a member of parliament if you made it," he recalls. "I used to listen a lot to the proceedings of Kenya's parliament. Anybody who wanted to know the latest news turned to me."

On finishing his studies at the St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments, taking high school level classes from 6 am to 8 pm - although he says his study routine started at 3 am and ended at 10:30 pm - he gained admission to the nation's most prestigious college, the University of Nairobi, earlier this year.

"My mother was very happy. She said it was a big achievement for her. She told all of our relatives and all of her friends of the news. Everybody was happy for me. But we didn't celebrate. She gave me a lot of encouragement and asked me to continue to strive for the best."

But the best was yet to come. On Nov 11, Wawaru was awarded a scholarship of 100,000 KSh ($1,110) by the Chinese embassy in Nairobi to further his studies at the university. The financial aid will support him until he graduates.

Wawaru is one of 20 students from the University of Nairobi to receive the scholarship from the Chinese embassy this year.

"It (the scholarship) will allow me to concentrate on my studies and maybe help me get into a postgraduate program. It's a good start and a good gift from the Chinese government. This has really changed my life," Wawaru says.

The help from China came as a big surprise, he says.

"I don't know much about this country. Perhaps it can be the first country I visit."

As a high schooler, Wawaru says he dreamed of being an international leader, perhaps becoming an ambassador for Kenya.

"I love different cultures."

But the political science major says that because of his work as chairman of the Association for Students with Disabilities at the University of Nairobi, he now wants to become a leader for the disabled.

"If I am a leader, one thing I want to prove is that people with disabilities have the ability to represent themselves and that they can lead and change society.

"Many people have the perception that people with disabilities shouldn't be able to achieve great things. But I like challenging myself."

Wawaru established the university association in April to help students with disabilities. It has nine students with visual impairments among its members.

But the university has a long way to go to help people with disabilities. Wawaru was recently given a computer from the university that was not equipped with software to allow those with visual impairments to use it. He also says he needs an electronic device that can translate Braille and print it into words on paper in order to help the nine student members with exams. The device, however, costs 500,000 KSh, unaffordable for any Kenyan student.

Samson says he may use the scholarship provided by the Chinese embassy to buy the device after he pays off his school fees.

Students who have other disabilities also need better facilities, he says.

"We have discussed and written our proposals. Now we are trying to get support from companies and see if they can sponsor us. But we have not found any success yet."

The association is also trying to negotiate with the university to add sports for visually impaired students.

Wawaru also volunteers for the Kenya Society for the Blind and the Action Network to help people with visual impairments and disadvantaged groups in the city's slums.

During the holidays, Samson helps train the blind how to use computers at the society's headquarters.

Samson has also joined the Action Network to spread knowledge about AIDS.

"I've talked with community leaders in the slums and have asked them to help support children with disabilities to go to school and disabled adults get job opportunities."

"Young disabled women are desperate and they may resort to alcohol and sex. They are easily targeted for sex because they either won't refuse or are unable to prevent it from happening."

Last year, 18 students from the university received the scholarship. Since 1982, the Chinese government has also been sponsoring Kenyan students to study in China. Currently, there are more than 200 Kenyan students who have studied or are planning to study in China with the Chinese government's financial help.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/14/2014 page28)