Reflections: Sarah’s Story, 1 of Many More…

Hello good people of the internet! That sounds off, but oh well, you are good people and we connect over the internet, so it sounds right-ish. My name is Sarah Wanjiru, and I run the TIES Kenya organization.

TIES stands for Technology in Education Society. Well, you might be wondering, how did we come up with that name? Mmh well, we got connected with TIES Canada and adopted the name, hence TIES Kenya. Most importantly, we also have a shared cause—empowering girls and young women through education and learning opportunities. That’s how our connection began in the first place.

It will be 4 years in September since the university sponsorship program began in 2021. Sometimes I’ll admit it feels like we are doing so little, like we have such big ideas but apart from the sponsorship program, none of the others have taken off. They’re still on paper.

Last month I sat down with a filmmaker named Eric Mwangi who helps organizations in storytelling. He told me something that stuck: our story is special, dare I say even powerful, but our storytelling sucks. He challenged me to do what I can in our current circumstances. So here I am, finally getting started.

The Struggle and The Grace

I am 34 years young, and have one beautiful baby girl called Ariana Njoki. I mention her because she is a big part of the story. I was pregnant with her and jobless in 2020. And it was COVID time, so yeah, I was stressed big time.

By God’s grace, I gave birth through the Linda Mama GoK program—basically for mums who cannot afford maternity care. It was totally free. Sadly, the program went down for a time when the new government came in 2022. Politics, eeh? Anyways, I have seen some articles about it coming back new and revamped. I really hope it does.

After Njoki came in November 2020, I was worried sick about how I would provide for her. We tried pig farming, academic writing, transcription, but the money was never enough. Also, I was realizing quickly that I jumped into a relationship too fast. We forced issues way past their time.

A Call from a Stranger

Around June 2021, I heard from Ross Thomas. I had been initially introduced to him in 2018 virtually by a friend. The short of it is that what I really hoped would be a job transfer didn’t work out back then. So, 3 years later, I hear from Ross. And he has this idea to pilot a university scholarship program for girls in Kenya.

Talk about perfect timing—this mama desperately needed a job and income! You may wonder how would someone entrust his money to a person he had never met in person. Up to date, I have never met Ross, my boss and our donor, in person. But really, why he trusted me, I believe is my back story.

I had also been educated through a charity organization in high school. AVSI paid for my education at Ngara Girls High School. So, this was more than just a job for me. I had grown up really admiring the work my social workers did. I also grew up at Starehe Children’s home in Nyahururu for 3 years because my mom couldn’t afford to pay for primary education.

I believe in my heart that this is what I am meant to do. It feels like my whole life has prepared me for this.

Looking Ahead

Njoki has been part of my life for equally the same time TIESK has been. And so I am encouraged and challenged to keep pushing the dream. We want more—we see ourselves running a profitable farming business to have the financial independence to sponsor more girls and young women in Kenya.

And so for now, what I have on my hands is a laptop and WIFI. And my story, reflections, and most importantly the quiet time to write before Njoki is back from school. Who can tell our stories better than us?

Asante sana for reading all the way to the end. This girl can talk! See you on the next one.