Retired Headmaster To Trek 169-Kilometer To Raise Ksh12 Million
A former headmaster and his wife will be trekking 169 kilometers to Nairobi in an effort to earn Ksh12 million for their girls’ shelter home.
A statement issued on Monday, October 3, announced that Patrick Ngigi and Josephine Paissany will begin their seven-day walk on October 31.
The couple is anticipated to walk with some of the girls housed at the Narok-based rescue center as well as a number of Masai elders. However, the entire journey will be undertaken by the couple.
A seven-day, 169-kilometer walk will be a new type of challenge for them.
They will be joined by a number of Maasai elders, two members of parliament, and representatives from a number of supporting organizations; nevertheless, only the couple will walk the entire distance.
Their goal is to raise Ksh12 million ($100,000),“ stated a portion of the announcement.
Ngingi, age 50, is the director of the non-profit organization, while his wife, age 40, is the manager of the safehouse.
The trip will begin in Narok and pass through Ntulele, Olasit, Suswa, Suswa, Mai Mahiu, Limuru, Ngong, and Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi.
Since the pair established a safehouse 25 years ago, they have saved 1,200 girls from the illegal practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The couple has progressed from housing girls escaping forced early marriage and female cutting with Patrick’s mother to constructing a safehouse that can accommodate up to sixty girls at a time, managing a school sponsorship program for up to one hundred sixty students, and operating a farm project to feed the girls.
They are currently aiming to create a vocational facility to provide training possibilities, cash to sustain the safehouse financially, and advocacy and outreach work to promote the "End FGM” message.
Former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta supported the center by donating a water pump and dairy cows.
Ngingi remarked that the pair frequently fretted over their fundraising efforts, but the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted their attempts.
“Fundraising is our constant worry. Over the years we have been fortunate enough to secure funds, both domestically and from international aid agencies, to develop Mission with a Vision to this point, but we would very much like to be in the position of self-reliance with an income generation scheme.
Through the sponsorship program of Mission with a Vision, some of the girls have become lawyers, teachers, midwives, and hotel professionals.
They have all become advocates for the rights of women.
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All girls deserve the opportunities to reach their potentials – not be cut, married and becoming mothers when they are just children themselves,“ he stated.
On the other hand, Paissany stated that vocational training is essential to improve the chances of girls following the first graduating class in 2021.
“This also gives us the opportunity for an income generating department. Our current focus is production of school uniforms. We believe that this will not only give us a source of income but we will also be able to provide the thousands of Kenyan children with affordable and quality uniforms,” she noted.
The activity will conclude on September 6th.
Retired Headmaster To Trek 169-Kilometer To Raise Ksh12 Million