Through dedication to change their situations and those of the people around them, they achieved the impossible. Their stories caused a stir worldwide, inspiring people to be better versions of themselves. This is the round-up of the story of a teacher, a mother, a lawyer, a choir, a police officer, and an activist. They all came from different walks of life, but their stories are just strengthening and inspiring as people kick start in 2020.
- Brother Peter Tabichi – Inspiring by helping disadvantaged students
Brother Peter Tabichi made headlines in March 2019 by winning $1 Million prizes for being the world’s best teacher in 2019. His story is quite inspiring. He teaches a school in a remote village in the Rift Valley region in Kenya. The pupils in this region are mostly disadvantaged students. Most have lost one or both parents. To help them, he donates more than 80% of his salary. He believes that Kenyan youths can achieve a lot, mainly if they chose to pursue science-related careers.
Brother Tabichi teaches at Keriko Mixed Day and Boarding School in Pwani Village, Nakuru. He believes that Africa has the power to produce achievers in the science and technology realm, and he’s dedicated to seeing that happen in the best way he can. He is also inspiring his female students to take on science careers, an example being the female captains of the SGR trains.
The challenges that he has to conquer daily include;
- There are limited resources in the school. Students are overcrowded in class, while teachers and learning materials are scarce.
- Lack of internet and he has to go for a very long distance to get a Cyber Café.
- Some of the parents in this region don’t value education, and he has to persuade them to allow their kids to go back to school.
He beat 10,000 contestants to win the World’s best teacher in Dubai. Sunny Varkey, the founder of this contest, believes that his story will inspire not only teachers but also the Education stakeholders and the world at large.
- Jordan Kinyera – Inspiring by using his Law Education to win back their family land
Jordan Kinyera is a 29-year-old lawyer who hails from Uganda. In 1996, when he was six, he saw his dad lose their family land to a land dispute. This inspired him to pursue law as a career. He was frustrated by the injustice his family faced, seeing that his Dad didn’t have enough resources to fight for their land.
His Dad is 82 years old and can’t farm, but justice was served after two decades of a legal battle. According to Mr. Kinyera, land disputes are common in Uganda. For them, they were sued by their neighbors, and they still have to reconcile with them. High pursued higher education, and he’s now using it to help his family and other community members resolve land disputes.
- Kenyan Police officer inspiring people by ditching his gun to teach
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Image retrieved from classic105.com
It looks like 2019 was a year where people used education to bring change in the society. In September 2019, a photo of a Kenyan police officer in full gear teaching pupils math went viral. The officer, Jared Mulumia, is stationed at the Kenyan-Ethiopian Border. Teachers posted to schools in this region fail to show up due to the frequent attacks by bandits. Seeing that students were suffering, Officer Jared took it upon himself to fill in and teach class 5 students Math during his free time. He is a trained teacher too. He touched the hearts of many people worldwide, receiving a lot of praise on Social Media.
- A Lady in Ethiopia inspiring people all over the world by dong exams immediately after delivering her baby
Ethiopia and some parts of Africa, girls drop out of school and delay their studies to give birth. Unfortunately, some never go back to school after delivering their babies. Almaz Derese, an Ethiopian student, didn’t want to take that chance. She studied for the exams while pregnant, hoping to do them before delivering. Things don’t always go as planned since Ramadan led to the exams scheduled for a later date. The exams coincided with her delivery, and she didn’t opt-out. She delivered and did the exams while in labor pains. Better yet, she passed and will be studying for the next two years as she prepares to join University. Her baby is fine too.
- Alfred Brownwell – The inspiring story of a Lawyer who stopped the destruction of Liberia’s rain forest
It took Mr. Brownwell a lot of dedication and patience to take on one of the largest Palm Oil companies in Liberia, Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL). The local community leaders helped him compile a report on the extent of destruction of the rainforest by the company. This dedication didn’t go unnoticed, expansion of the palm oil company was stopped, and Mr. Brownwell won a major environmental prize. He fled to the U.S.A for fear of retaliation by the enemies, but he played his role in conserving the natural rainforests.
- The South African Choir that won our hearts
Nothing’s more inspiring than a group of youths being recognized worldwide for their voices and culture. In 2019, the SA’s Ndlovu Youth Choir was that group. They came from a small rural community, and rose to the biggest talent shows in the world; America’s Got Talent. They even made it to the final. Even though they didn’t win in the talent show, they released their first album that’s very popular in South Africa and worldwide. They inspired their fellow youths to be proud of their culture and aspire to reach new heights. Everything is possible.
