- Kiogo SDA Primary School has a population of 405 pupils distributed in its 11 streams.
- Dr. Orina and Ms. Kangwana have been visiting schools to empower learners through role modeling.
- The duo’s visit to Kiogo Primary School raised the young learners’ expectations and also exposed them to what professionals look like.
John Wooden asserted, “Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating.”
This is especially true when dealing with people behind you who are looking up to you for guidance and insights.
Someone else put it even better: “Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.”
On July 27, 2023, Dr. Edna Orina, a Consultant Radiologist at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital, together with Edinah Kangwana MBS, MHC., a leadership and governance expert and the Founder, Edinah Kangwana Role Modelling Initiative, paid a visit to Kiogo SDA Primary School in Kisii County.
The duo went to talk to the class eight candidates at the school, tell their inspiring stories and impassion the young minds into working harder in life and staying mentally and physically fit.
They also attended to their social needs by providing basic sanitary products.
Upon arrival, the two champions, who have been visiting different learning institutions within and outside the county for empowerment sessions through role modeling and distribution of hygiene products, were received by the school’s headteacher, Mr. Okoth Apiyo.
Mr. Apiyo joined the school in 2020 and has been determined, working fingers to the bone, to ensure he raises the institution’s status and makes it the go-to for young minds to grow, diversify and prepare for the future.
Empowering through role modeling
After a briefing by the school’s headteacher, the guests had an interactive session with the learners, spurring the young minds onto self-belief, hard work and greatness.
Telling her story, Ms. Kangwana urged the learners that they should not be in a comfort zone now but should strive to snatch the best from their lives through hard work and jumping into any available opportunities.
“The world is so big, and the more you travel, the more you’ll see better things,” she said, reminding them to never settle for less.
She further advised them that there are no limits to what life offers and that open-mindedness is essential in making the right choices.
“You can become anyone you desire to become. The potential is limitless. Just believe in yourself and work hard to become what you desire,” said the transformational leader.
As they grow into adolescence and witness their bodies’ size, physiology, emotions, and other aspects change, she urged them to rise above the distractors of self-doubt, comparison, family struggles, poverty, and anything else threatening to take away the value of their time and commitment.
As the candidates take a homestretch towards the culmination of their primary education, Ms. Kangwana enlightened them that they should not be anxious and worried about their next phase of education, for many opportunities exist for them and different entities are willing to put their resources behind the learners in support.
“Work very hard and make it, and you’ll be able to go to your dream school. The world has opened up, and more opportunities are now available, but you have to put in the work and qualify yourself for what you want,” she advised.
From a parental perspective, Ms. Kangwana urged the young learners to abstain from sexual relations, which is a precursor to diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and a hindrance to their becoming the version they desire to be.
Having bagged myriad lessons over time, she clarified to them that the case of instant gratification is a major distractor.
“You are the future that you’re looking for,” she told them.
Dr. Orina also inspired the young minds by telling her inspiring story and taking them through her academic journey. She clarified that hard work has been her engine.
The health expert also expressed her satisfaction and passion for community service, telling of her joy in serving her home county.
“I felt I would grow well at home and be able to serve my people at home better,” she clarified concerning her choice to be posted at her home county, Kisii, after her education.
Dr. Orina’s story is one of unequaled resilience, unbeatable determination, and passionate pursuit of her goals.
After her undergraduate studies, she went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in radiology before going back to Kisii County upon completion to serve her community.
“Whatever you want to do, it has to take resilience and hard work,” she urged them, reminding them that many give up at an early stage and throw in the towel.
Dr. Orina is also a mental health champion.
She has dedicated most of her efforts and time to destigmatizing mental health through enlightening communities and sharing expert insights with the public on how to stay free from, and also dig themselves out of stress, depression, and related issues.
“Mental illness is a sickness like any other,” she guided the young minds, calling upon them to be agents of change concerning mental health in the community and villages.
Your choice matters
“I went to a school like you, faced challenges like you, but chose to rise above them,” she revealed, urging them to be prepared for what the future holds.
Wishing them well as they prepare for their examinations, she reminded them that this is their only chance to qualify themselves for high school, urging them to grab the opportunity and make utmost use of every available opportunity.
Kiogo SDA Primary School has a population of 405 pupils distributed in its 11 streams. 18 teachers attend to the learners’ academic needs, and they have been determined to shape the children for greatness.
Last year, 15 students scored above 300 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, with the top scoring 380 marks.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, how your family is or the entire situation around you. Education is an equalizer and what makes the difference is the amount of efforts that you put in,” Dr. Orina enthused the pupils.
Mr. Apiyo, giving his remarks of gratitude after the session, called the pupils to a point of change by implementing the many lessons they had gained from the two guests.
“We all begin from somewhere. From today, the way you dress, walk and talk should indicate a change in your life,” he encouraged the learners.
Dr. Orina and Ms. Kangwana, as they have been doing wherever they go for such role modeling and mentorship sessions, gave dignity pads to the girls and also distributed other hygiene products to the learners.
Such gives the young minds greater confidence, passion for excellence, and sufficient motivation to keep pressing on.
A warm gesture
In an interview with the headteacher after the event, he expressed his gratitude to the two men leaders for their warm gesture and support to both the learners and the institution.
“This has been a marvelous session. I wish it were possible that this gets done every term or even more regularly,” he said, gratefully.
If you want success, you have to work for it and sacrifice for it. If you want easy life, you will need to work harder for a paltry. Instead, work hard now.”
Dr. Orina and Ms. Kangwana also spent time with the teachers and appreciated their efforts in shaping the pupils.
The duo also guided them on the best approaches to dealing with mental health-related issues, cognizant of the much work they have to handle in straightening the learners academically and otherwise.
Gratefully, the teachers also appreciated the visitors for their sacrifice to leave their commitments and come to talk to them and to the learners, an act which enthused the school’s mood and passion.
They marveled at the impact of the motivation on the young learners’ lives.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Katiba’s passionate journey in empowering schools, women and security officers
It’s upon us, and we should take it so, that we who have the advantage of experience, willingly share our life’s journeys with those behind us and equip them for the greatness yonder.
