Meet Nicholas. An Alumnus who began his education at
Christ’s Gift Academy in Pre-Primary (Kindergarten). He has endured many hardships over the years
including being orphaned by the age of 8 and fighting with life and death. His perseverance, hard work and humble
attitude along with this trust in God has helped him to overcome life’s
challenges. In September, he’ll be
starting college.
This is his story.
~~~
You will first notice
his quirky smile and friendly personality. Nicholas is quick to recognize the
positive things in life and have an attitude of gratitude and joy. He has a desire to make a great impact in
this world for God’s Kingdom.
“I want to give out the potential planted deep inside me and show
others that they should not only work to earn money but also to glorify their
Creator. This is [what is able] to
transform our stereotyped country and see God’s Kingdom prevail.”
Nicholas’ hopes and
dreams for his own life, as well as his country, did not come easily. He
was born in 1992 and at the age of 6, his father passed away. In 2000, he had the opportunity to attend CGA. Diana, his Nursery school teacher, recalls
him as "very timid and shy when he first started school, yet often happy whether
he received correction or praise." During
his second year at CGA, while in 1st Grade, his mother died. He was left under the care of his grandfather
and later an aunt became his guardian in a home full of children; as many as 9
at a given time.
In 7th
Grade, Nicholas personally had to fight to stay alive. With a terribly weak immune system, he also developed
tuberculosis which debilitated him. With the assistance of CGA staff, he
received the necessary treatment just in time.
Lillian, CGA’s social worker, recalls: “He was really down. He was about to die.” Nicholas ended up missing all of 1st
term in 7th Grade (3 months of school), which is the most
challenging and important time in Primary School. For 2 months, Lillian visited Nicholas’ home
2-3 times a day, taking him food and monitoring his health. After a long recovery process, he returned to
school and had to work extra hard to catch up with his classmates, but
eventually he was performing near the top of his class. The care which CGA offered during this time
was critical to his recovery and ability to be alive today.
As an orphan of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it would
have been easy for Nicholas to foster an attitude and lifestyle of a
victim. Instead, he has chosen to live
with a great attitude and has worked hard to improve his life and have hope for
a better future.
His church pastor
describes him as being humble, organized, hardworking and reliable. “He is a team player who is able to lead
others in achieving group goals.”
Nicolas performed
well on his primary school final exams and earned the grades to attend the highest-performing
secondary school in the district, Mbita High School. During
his time in high school he worked hard and his grades were always in the
top 20% of his class. He participated in
the Environmental Club to help plant trees and flowers throughout the school
compound. The school Principal will say
he was also a mentor and good example to other students. While his grades and
extra-curricular activities were a great achievement, it was his spiritual
development which flourished in high school.
“I accepted spiritualism [religion] during my early ages to conform with the prevailing pattern of faith-based activities at CGA. However, these only received a tangible meaning when I encountered Christ in Form 2 [10th grade] and has continued to [grow] in the faith.”
After finishing high
school in 2012, Nicholas chose to use his free time to volunteer as a teacher
at a local primary school. He enjoyed
teaching so much that he has his goals set on a career as a teacher. He applied for and was accepted to receive
the CGA Post-Secondary Scholarship; a partial-scholarship to assist with the
costs of college or university. No one
in his immediate family has gone to college or university.
This September,
Nicolas will continue his education at Rongo University College studying
Education. His desire after
completing the 4 year degree program is to teach high school, with a
specialization in Kiswahili and Christian Religious Education.
Nicholas has an
enormous amount of gratitude to CGA and his sponsors.
“I wouldn’t have made any educational or spiritual growth today if
there wasn’t CGA. In addition, I have
also made good progress in my health.
All these I owe to CGA; clear proof that my life would have been different if I had never gone to
CGA.”
Nicholas has always enjoyed reading and appreciated the CGA
school library. He desires to someday give back to CGA by supplementing the
library with more learning materials in order to help other students enjoy it
as much as he did.
A final quote from Nicholas to encourage you the reader
about life’s hurdles:
“With perseverance and determination coupled with complete trust in
God, one can easily overcome the challenges of life. That is one of God’s greatest gifts.”
~~~
CGA Alumni like
Nicholas are a testament to the success of the ministry. Christ’s Gift Academy is more than a primary
school who supports students in secondary school. It is a holistic ministry caring for all
aspects of each child; academic, physical, social and spiritual. Even more than a ministry, CGA is a
family. We praise God for the success
stories like Nicholas and many others in the CGA family.
We've enjoyed spending time with Nicholas over the past year and are excited about his future.
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