蜜桃传媒

Photo by Lee Pellegrini

This summer, Zainabu Mohamed traveled more than 7,000 miles to attend Boston College鈥攁 journey she hopes her grade school students in Anyiko, a remote village of western Kenya, will one day follow.

Mohamed, founder of St. Christabel School in Yala Township and now pursuing graduate studies through 蜜桃传媒's Lynch School of Education and Human Development, traded a Nairobi banking and hospitality career鈥攆raught with what she characterized as 鈥渆mptiness鈥濃�攆or the arduous challenge of self-launching a Catholic primary school in the village of her late grandmother, for whom the school is named (鈥渂eautiful Christian鈥�).聽聽

Raised as a Muslim but taught in Kenyan Catholic schools, Mohamed said her early education memories left a lasting impression. 鈥淟earning went hand-in-hand with joy," she said. "We read many books, produced beautiful Christmas plays, took swimming lessons, and sang our lungs out at Mass. We laughed and played hard, and the friendships I made then continue today.鈥澛犅�

Mohamed converted to Catholicism in the spring of 2017. Six months later, she鈥攚ith the advocacy of the local priest鈥攂roke ground on her grandmother鈥檚 land for a new school building, which opened in January 2018. Following a recruitment effort that netted 15 students, most of whom attend tuition-free, her dream became a reality. While friends have been supportive, Mohamed shoulders the bulk of the school鈥檚 financial responsibilities.

鈥淚 own a local restaurant, and after those bills are paid, the remainder of the revenue goes to the school,鈥� explained Mohamed, who is enrolled in the Lynch School's online M.Ed. in Global Perspectives program and attended last July鈥檚 Emmaus Leadership Series Foundational Retreat, a program of 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 Roche Center for Catholic Education that helps prepare Catholic school presidents, principals, and heads of school for the demands of leadership.聽

鈥淵ala used to be home to a white sugar company, the Maize and Produce Board, the railway, and Moi University鈥檚 Odera Akang鈥檕 campus, but all have collapsed, leaving just small businesses that employ few people,鈥� said Mohamed. 鈥淢any households are without electricity, and water must be fetched from the river. There are no jobs, young girls get into early marriages and, sadly, the cycle of poverty remains unbroken.鈥澛犅�

Mohamed, whose travel and 蜜桃传媒 program attendance were covered by scholarships, explained that the student-teacher ratio at the village鈥檚 only other school makes learning very difficult. St. Christabel offers an uncrowded and low-cost alternative that preserves the students鈥� hope of attending high school, graduating, and ideally, enrolling in a college.

Anyiko Village, a Luo-speaking community, was once ruled by traditional leaders; one of the most famous, according to Mohamed, was Senior Chief Odera Akang鈥檕, a forceful education advocate who introduced compulsory primary and secondary education in 1915. Some of the most educated and influential Kenyans emerged from Akang鈥檕鈥檚 Gem (an electoral constituency) area, she said.

鈥淭his is our heritage, our shared story, and it鈥檚 told to every Luo child from Gem. It鈥檚 shared with pride, but, sadly, for the current generation, it鈥檚 just a story. Part of our mission is to help them see beyond their homes, to fuel their dreams, and to provide the tools to help them get there.鈥澛犅�

St. Christabel now enrolls 45 students in preschool through grade 3 in three classrooms, and employs six teachers, a gardener, two security guards, and a cook; all are paid, but each employee is willing to make sacrifices and understands that their pay may be late or less than anticipated at times, she said.聽 聽 聽

Mohamed learned about 蜜桃传媒 in 2018, when she attended an entrepreneurship workshop for African women at Babson College and spotted a Roche Center brochure at one of the conference tables, which led to an inquiry and her聽 eventual enrollment.

鈥淶ainabu possesses both deep wisdom and a profound faith,鈥� said Kristin Melley, the Roche Center鈥檚 director of professional development, who has forged a strong relationship with Mohamed. 鈥淗er wisdom enables her to see the challenges around her and respond intelligently and meaningfully; her faith has trained her vision to see the most vulnerable and place her gifts at their service.鈥�

Her actions were further informed by an understanding that education reforms society. A village school calls for community involvement, and if opportunities for change could be seeded from within, in time, they would become lasting solutions.

鈥淚n her graduate studies, Zainabu was challenged to undertake a social justice project through which her efforts would make the world a better place鈥攏o minor undertaking,鈥� said Lynch School Associate Professor Patrick J. McQuillan. 鈥淎fter just a quick overview of the work she is doing at her school, it became apparent that she was living a life of social justice, and her efforts are seen as improving the life chances of students in her village.鈥澛�

鈥淲e are striving to build authentic partnerships with Anyiko Village families and communities in the hope that in a few years, we will see our children step onto the world stage, and eventually, return to the village to become productive change leaders,鈥� said Mohamed. 鈥淲e are in dire need of classrooms, books, and education scholarships. Digital learning is still a dream, but despite these challenges, St. Christabel School has given me more than I have given to it. I have found my joy, and that is priceless.鈥�

鈥擯hil Gloudemans | University Communications