Nancy Kasino Domokong from the Pokot ethnic group grew up in the eponymous East Pokot region in western Kenya. Her story is a persistent search for education for a better life. Thanks to CO-OPERAID's Talents programme, her dream is now within reach.
Nancy was not granted a carefree childhood. As the eldest girl, she grew up in an extended Pokot family that adheres to the traditional nomadic way of life. To this day, they still practise traditional livestock farming on the barren scrubland, which barely ensures their survival. Food and water shortages were just as much a part of Nancy's everyday life as poverty and the exposure to potential violence and injustice.
Although her strict father was always sceptical about his daughter's education and often lacked the money for school fees, Nancy went to school. When she came home from school one day though, she met a group of older Pokot men: she had just been sold to one of them as a wife - at that time she was in the 5th grade of primary school.
The prospect of married life with a much older man filled Nancy with terror and she fled headlong. She couldn't stay with friends - the fear of her father's revenge was too great. After nights in the bush, she ended up with an aunt who took her in and still provides her with protection today. She also supported Nancy in her education over the years, so that she was even able to complete secondary school.
The childhood dream within reach
From an early age, Nancy wanted to empower the next generation of young Pokot through education. She always admired her teachers. But how was she able to start such an undertaking? A former teacher found out about the CO-OPERAID and Hifadhi Africa talent programme. He knew that Nancy had the potential and talent and the necessary perseverance, but not the financial means. He therefore recommended Nancy and she applied and was awarded a scholarship.
Today, Nancy attends St Ann's Montessori Teacher Training College in the nearest town, where she will be trained for three years to become a pre-school teacher. Because Montessori education focuses on a child-centred approach and practical learning, graduates are more highly regarded in Kenya than a conventional Kindergarten teacher. Nancy is therefore convinced that she will quickly find a job and be able to realise her dream: ‘I want to become the best Montessori teacher in East Pokot.’
Shortage of Pokot teachers
So far, far too few members of the ethnic Pokot have been trained as teachers. Most teachers in East Pokot therefore come from other parts of the country and ethnicities. The Pokot way of life in the underdeveloped region is alien and strange to them. The teachers usually want to be transferred quickly and rarely engage with the Pokot. Nancy knows that the Pokot children often feel misunderstood as a result. And schools are repeatedly left without teaching staff.
More than individual help
Launched in 2014, CO-OPERAID's ‘Talents’ programme has just been launched in Kenya in the East Pokot project region (since 2023). Talented young people who are unable to continue their education for monetary reasons can apply and receive a scholarship through the Talents programme, giving them a chance to succeed in their own educational endeavors.
Nancy's story is an example of how not only the individual but also a wider community benefits from such a scholarship. People like Nancy are indispensable if we are to succeed in providing education to the young generation of Pokot and also if we want to offer a continuity. As a member of the same ethnic group, she understands both the language and the needs of the children far better than teachers who come from outside. Nancy will also be a role model for the children, showing them what can be achieved through education.
We would like to thank all our supporters and sponsors of the ‘Talents’ programme for the promotion empowerment and development of disadvantaged young people in Kenya, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos. Your help gives young people like Nancy a unique opportunity to lead a self-determined life.
Rashid Abed, Fundraising Manager and Project Manager of the ‘Talents‘-programme
abed(at)co-operaid.ch
