A Special Note of Thanks
I first meet Glory in 2010. She and the other kids I met led me to the idea of Climb for a Child. Now 12 years later Glory, the daughter of my Mount Kilimanjaro Guide is an honors bio medical student at Newcastle University in the UK.
Sponsors. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for enabling the journey. Not only for me but Glory and many others like her. This story is her journey.
Special thanks to her incredible sponsors, Peter and Jocelyn for making this possible. And the many others that made each step of this journey possible.
We have all reached new heights thanks to you. Anything is possible, when you take one step at a time.
~ed dean
Educating children around the world, one step at a time
Glory in 2010
The daughter of a 4th grade educated, Mt Kilimanjaro Guide
A Personal Interview
growing up in a society with a set of rules for how one's life should be structured, shaped my imaginations to fit into that box; get good grades and you're successful, that was the rule.
Who was I before I got the scholarship?
My desire to be the best was founded on academic excellence, and I worked tirelessly to ensure that I was always first in my class. After consistently outperforming in class, I enrolled in a boarding school 10 kilometers from home, the farthest I had ever travelled. This paved the way for me to achieve greatness, and I began to dream bigger, but my imagination was still limited to the life of the village. A reader is the same as a traveler, but I was never one, so I could only imagine so little. Furthermore, growing up in a society with a set of rules for how one’s life should be structured, shaped my imaginations to fit into that box; get good grades and you’re successful, that was the rule.
Thanks to @ClimbForAChild, I finally realized that I wasn’t defined by grades and that I could be more, so I went out into the world and became a daughter, a sister, a cook, a sewer, a volunteer, and a leader.
What is the best thing about getting the scholarship (after)?
Everyone who knows me knows that that with Climb for a Child I’ve been able to attend international schools, travel the world and attend university abroad. Isn’t that what the programme is all about, enrolling underprivileged children in better schools? But there is so much more that the outside world is unaware of. Enrolling in the program and after a lot of conversations with the director, I finally opened myself up to experiencing every opportunity that life had to offer. I’ve traveled to Boston, Kabul, Nigeria, and many other places thanks to the books I was introduced to. I finally realized that I wasn’t defined by grades and that I could be more, so I went out into the world and became a daughter, a sister, a cook, a sewer, a volunteer, and a leader. Apart from stretching my abilities to the fullest, the programme provided a second family. A family with similar backgrounds and the same goal of eradicating poverty. A family of wise and considerate people. I’ve learned love, resilience, how to live with other people, how to help one another, and, most importantly, gratitude as a result of the Climb for a child family.
We seek help, express ourselves, and are constantly striving to be the best versions of ourselves.
Where do you think you are life would be if you hadn’t gotten the scholarship?
The program has changed my life, as well as the lives of my family and some of my friends. I am the only person in my family who has traveled outside of East Africa, but through me, my family can imagine what life is like outside of Africa. I’ve become a symbol of hope for my younger brother; if his sister can do it, so can he. I didn’t know how to read or write in English, but the program’s education has enabled me to help my father’s career grow. Most people outside the program consider us lucky to have received the scholarship, but the truth is that the program has taught us that luck does not repeat itself, and as a result, we work hard to earn our positions in the program. We seek help, express ourselves, and are constantly striving to be the best versions of ourselves. So, if I hadn’t received the scholarship, I wouldn’t have developed valuable skills such as conflict resolution, communication skills, and collaboration skills.
Where do you see yourself going?
The biomedical Science degree provides me with several career paths to pursue after graduation, I decided to seek work experience as well as attend several career fairs so that I could choose the right career path for myself. First and foremost, working at a United Nations-funded research organization before graduating high school confirmed my interest in scientific research. Furthermore, the work and training I gained from working at a COVID 19-based PCR as well as a hospital this summer helped me understand what it is like to work as a clinical scientist. So, based on what I’ve learned in class, at career fairs, and through my related work experience, I’d like to pursue a career as a public health professional, a clinical scientist, or a bioinformatician.
@ClimbForAChild, has taught me the value of giving back. I would like to give back to my community and the program in the same way that they did to me, by ensuring that every child has the right to a quality education.
Glory through the years at Climb for a Child
