Born the eldest of three children of subsistence farmers in rural
Olengururone, Kenya, Mercy Chepkoech Ngetich might not have expected much out of life. After all, life is often unkind to people of small means. Besides the farming, her father works as a salesman at a tea packing company, earning an annual salary of $3000. And Life is even less often kind to women in countries whose outdated traditions value girls far less than boys.
But for Ngetich, a quick mind, a strong work ethic passed from her parents and a desire to help not only herself but also other girls drove her to excel in education as a means to accomplish her goals.
According to Ngetich’s autobiographical information, “I was raised and baptized at St. Kizito Catholic Church, Nakuru Catholic Diocese. Upon successful completion of primary school, I joined Mary Mount Secondary School Molo, Nakuru County, a school run by the Little Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi. I sat for my national examination (Kenya certificate of secondary education) in 2010.”
She graduated with an A- average and enrolled in Kabarak University, where she pursued her undergraduate studies in Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Finance.
Now she has been accepted at Valparaiso University. She has been awarded the maximum scholarship for International students but still needs to raise $30,000 to obtain her F1 Student Visa.
Members of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Portage, Indiana, and their friends became aware of her quest, and the church has agreed to become the institution that will serve as a conduit for the funds for Mercy’s scholarship. Every single penny of people’s contributions will go directly to Valparaiso University to help bring this deserving woman to study here.
Ngetich writes, “My determination to change the world one step at a time stems from my deep passion and desire to help others and to give a voice to the oppressed and disadvantaged. From an early age, I witnessed injustices towards those who could not articulate their problems because of social, economic, religious, or political disadvantage.."
“In my village it is sad to say that I left many girls behind affected and influenced by cultural factors affecting girl-child education in Kenya. These issues include female genital mutilation, traditional beliefs about the roles and abilities of girls, preference of boys to girls by their parents, and preferences towards girls of certain ethnicity."
“Education in the USA will equip me with knowledge and skills that will enable me to advocate for those enslaved by outdated practices that still persist in many parts of the world and in my village in particular. Since my strength is in Math, an undergraduate degree in finance would lay the necessary groundwork for me to work with business communities and other like-minded groups to improve the lives of others and promote mentoring to girls. My interest in finance is to gain knowledge that will adequately prepare me to face tough challenges in Kenya.”
HOPE FOR MERCY
To donate to Mercy’s scholarship fund:
Send a check to:
St. Peter Church
6540 Central Avenue
Portage, IN 4636
(Please write ’Scholarship’ in the memo line)
All donations are tax deductible