Wyllis Collins Muganda
Aged 24
Wyllis is in the last year of a higher Diploma in Analytical Chemistry at Mombasa Polytechnic. His struggle to achieve a good education began when his father, the sole income provider, lost his job towards the end of Wyllis’s primary education. This meant that the family then had to struggle through a couple of years of financing Wyllis’s secondary education before he came to the attention of ACTS

From form 3, ACTS found a sponsor for Wyllis and have supported him ever since. Wyllis has repaid this by achieving excellent results in his studies, and he hopes to achieve a distinction in his higher diploma – the highest certification that exists. Wyllis is delighted and grateful that he has gained such a high level of education but even more than that, he recognises the other opportunities that have come his way as a result. He has taken part in and gained the Gold level of the Presidents award, and was awarded his certificate by the President himself. He was also named as Coast Youth of the Year by an organisation promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and was recently named as Best Performing Male Artist in a local drama festival.

At one point, Wyllis strongly believed that all his hard work and study would be for nothing if he wasn’t able to carry on his education, but with the help of ACTS he has turned into a bright, personable young man who holds an excellent standard of education and the exciting prospects that go with it. He is now starting to apply for jobs for when his course ends but his quest for education goes on – Wyllis intends to study for an MA in Analytical Chemistry in the evenings while holding down a daytime job – a truly dedicated student who deserves every success !

Jacob Mwaruwa
Aged 22
Jacob is one of a whole generation of children and adults who were affected by a polio outbreak in a rural area of Kenya 20 years ago. He was aged just 2 when the disease struck and his parents, who were uneducated and afraid, failed to seek medical help early enough. As a result, Jacob has a severe physical handicap which means that both legs are deformed and he walks with difficulty with the help of a cane.

Despite this disability, Joseph does not let anything get him down and works hard and with a heart-warming enthusiasm towards achieving his personal and educational targets. ACTS began to support him in form 2 and he completed his secondary education at Mombasa Secondary School for the Physically Handicapped. Now he is in his final year of a 3 year Diploma in Tourism. He speaks fluent French, German and English and is learning Spanish for good measure ! His enthusiasm for life is infectious and although he still suffers some pain, particularly in the cool season, he refuses to miss a class or let it affect his studies. 

He recognises the importance of a good education and says ‘When you lack education you lack wisdom, although education may not teach you wisdom’, and to this end he is encouraging his 5 younger siblings to study hard and achieve their maximum potential because, without education he believes their future is bleak. Jacob’s course is finishing this year and he hopes to get a job in the hotel or tour industry and help to support his younger siblings through the remainder of their education. But his ambition doesn’t stop there; with internationally recognised qualifications, Jacob could work anywhere in the world and isn’t restricted to staying in Kenya. ‘The sky’s the limit’ he grins with yet another winning smile!

Read about Jacqueline's life altering experiences.

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