Young mum’s dream to become a social worker revived after 'Nation' story

Jackeline Anyango, 20, is excited but shows signs of anxiety on her first day of reporting at the Kisii National Polytechnic in Kisii town. Jackeline is among hundreds of students being admitted to the institution, to begin their higher education learning.

The struggles of joining the polytechnic on the first day of reporting are evident; she has to make a long queue in the scorching sun. Additionally, she has reported alone and, unlike other students, has no one to help her around.

Jackeline is a single mother of one. The last couple of years has been difficult for her as she raises her daughter, whom she delivered when she was a teenager. She now wants to focus on her studies and become a social worker.

“I am very excited today. This is unbelievable. I am here courtesy of the Nation, which published my story of pain and struggles as a teen mother and through it, I was able to get a well-wisher, Julia Sidney Greenland, who is sponsoring my education at the Kisii National Polytechnic,” says Jackeline, who hails from Ndhiwa in Homa Bay County.

Julia says she shares the little she has for such causes. She offered to pay for Jackline’s tuition and accommodation in full, after coming across the story, which was published in May 2023.

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“I was really moved by the plight of the grandmothers from Homa Bay and all the wasted potential when their education was cut short. When I read that one of the mothers was seeking support for her daughter to return to school, I thought that this was an amazing opportunity to break the cycle of exclusion and poverty by helping Jackie get her life back on track,” Julia says enthusiastically.

“I hope Jackie can focus on her studies, and provide for her children once she graduates. She is studying community development and I think she will make a big impact on her community. My children are my greatest joy and I hope she can also experience that joy without the stresses of poverty and teenage motherhood,” she continues.

Julia, who is passionate about reproductive rights, takes pride in sponsoring students. “I’m lucky enough to sponsor many students at different levels. It is a major part of my household budget. I feel very blessed to be able to allow kids to stay in school. It's such a simple thing but makes such a difference in people's lives,” she says.

She believes that denying adolescents the right to contraception also denies them the opportunity to escape poverty and contribute fully to society.

“When I speak to teenage mums, they always tell me about how they reached their situation due to ignorance, abuse from men and lack of access to health. We owe it to them to fix these gaps. Homa Bay has some of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the country; Kenya is losing potential leaders every day to this crisis,” Julia says.

“I am also very passionate about the nexus between mental health and sexual health. So many teenage parents struggle with depression – there must be a way to address these needs together and improve the quality of their lives.”

She has since cleared tuition and accommodation fees for Jackie’s two-year social work and community development course. She also catered for the fee balance she had back at Ojonde Unga Secondary School, which had prevented her from getting her result slip.

“I got a D+ at Ojonde Unga Secondary School though I had never managed to get my results because of fee arrears, but I am glad Ms Greenland came to my rescue. I left my baby with my mother, she will be taking care of her as I further my studies and I hope to make them all proud,” concludes Jackie.

She enrolled on Monday last week.

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