When Goddie's name came up, the last thing on our mind, was that a gauntlet would be thrown so dramatically at my feet. Over the next twelve hours, as folks slept, I mused over the best course of action to take. We - the vetting sub committee - had been convinced, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Goddie, whom we had never met, would take up his place at Alliance High School as a freshman within 48 hours, his economic circumstances notwithstanding. The clock was ticking fast and we needed to assure the family that we would pick the bill. By a stroke of ill fortune, Goddie had missed out on scholarships applied for. Meanwhile Goddie was assisting in plastering a neighbour's hut so that perchance he could raise some funds towards his own schooling.
On the fateful day that his name was proposed by the vetting sub committee - we learnt rather belatedly that - we - who had vetted & proposed him for consideration - needed to figure out how to raise the requisite funds that would assure his fees & the logistics around his school shopping. I was reminded of a famous swahili proverb that "mbiu ya mgambo ikipiga kuna jambo".
I must digress and explain a little bit about Alliance High School. AHS (www.alliancehighschool.ac.ke) was established by the Alliance of Protestant Churches in 1926 for native Kenyan children. It was and still is a centre of excellence for some of the best minds that Kenya has ever produced serving both at home and abroad. A stint at Alliance High School could only but change one's fortunes for the better for the networks the school provides are to die for. As an alumni of Alliance Girls High School, I never failed to marvel at the exploits of the lads across the ridge whose school motto was "Strong To Serve". They excelled in sports, music, drama, debating and all manner of curricular & Co curricular activities. We - the girls - could only envy them and mark our territory to ward off forays by girls from other national schools. It was therefore anathema to us that Goddie would forfeit a place coveted by many, a place that he had strived so hard to get.
There were two options; that I would dip further in my savings as I had done for Ozzy & others before him OR that I would crowd fund on his behalf. The thought that we could abandon Goddie at his hour of greatest need never crossed our minds. I thought deeply into the night on why the gauntlet had been thrown at our feet in so unceremonious a manner. At the opportune time, just when I needed an answer, I got an epiphany out of the blues "Lift your eyes to the hills from where cometh your help".
I understood that the best response to the duel would be to crowd fund. We were unfazed by the short notice for we were convinced that the promises of God are 'yeah & amen' and He adds no sorrow to them. We prayed for a miracle of $1000 to cover Goddie's 2016 fee in full, shopping & transport from home to school. On the night of the Iowa Caucases, I wrote Goddie's story on my wall, inboxed different people of goodwill and waited.
Within exactly 24 hours, the $1000 that we needed had been raised from an assortment of friends, family & vetting sub committee members. The excitement was palpable. Folks, despite commitments of their own, stood up to be counted. The funds & pledges came in pounds, dollars, CFA & Kshs and in kind from across the globe...just to ensure that Goddie secured his place. We set the ball rolling for a volunteer to commence with his shopping as he had only another 24 hours to report to school.
In God's abundance, a further $500 was pledged - which if received - will be held in trust for 2017. When we were on the home stretch, we received a further $100 which - in appreciation - we tithed off to another lad for his obligatory school shopping.
Just when we were ready to pat our backs for a task well executed, we realized that we had two more hurdles to clear. As if to test our faith, an uncle weighed in - at the last moment - on the demerits of sending Goddie of to a school in far off Kikuyu and suggested that he re-enrol in a school nearby. Time was of the essense and this item had to be disposed off graciously for the sake of family unity. The second hurdle arose from unlikely quarters with the broader team members querring why we had separately raised funds for Goddie. I understood that God is not one of confusion and so rallied the troupes I had so tenaciously worked with, without being distracted or missing a heart beat. Volunteers assisted with different tasks which included cutting a Banker's cheque for AHS, assisting with the school shopping, donating personal effects, providing suggestions, filling in the school forms, preparing an accounting for all donations and accompanying the lad to school on the due date in style. We understood that we were surrounded by a crowd of witnesses on every side and so we could not fail.
So it came to pass that exactly 48 hours from when we had lifted our eyes to the hills that Goddie started a new adventure among the class of 2016 as an Alliance High School alumni with a whole years' school fees paid, shopping done and a cash surplus of $160. He met other students from Western Kenya who provided a supporting environment and helped him acclamatize in this new school. Goddie had never been away from home and was now - for the first time - in a residential boys school where he could pursue his dreams without encumbrances. Every step of the way, doors were opened and networks created that we believe will come in handy in the next four years.
Like Martin Luther King, we have a dream that Goddie will look back to this period of his life and tell his own story in his own words...he will regale us about a school calling letter that had been but a mockery in disguise. Goddie will perhaps wonder at an unfair system that fails its children and separates them on the basis of their parents' economic status...he will analyse the underlying reasons many bright but needy children miss out on much touted scholarships without a process of recourse. However - when all is said and done - we have a premonition that Goddie will thrive, because some persons unknown to him offered him the Lifeline he so much needed.
Goddie's story will always serve to remind us of Lupita Nyong'o's famous comment as she received the much coveted Oscar that "No matter where one is from, one's dreams are valid".
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