Youth at the root of development: the experience of Terry Muchiri, St. Kizito graduate now entrepreneur

The event "Youth at the root of development", organized by AVSI at the 45th Rimini Meeting, focused on personal life stories to highlight and document the successful outcomes of development cooperation interventions in the educational field, carried out by accompanying children and young people to discover their own value.

Moderated by Elisabetta Soglio - journalist at Corriere della Sera, the dialogue began with the testimony of Terry Muchiri, who graduated from St. Kizito Vocational Training Center, an institute founded by AVSI in Nairobi with the support of the Italian Cooperation. She is now director of three companies.

Her words were followed by two contributions from Latin America: first by Nelson Ramos de Jesus, who graduated in PE and is now a sports coach at the João Paulo II Educational Center in Brazil, and second Julivam Estevam Souza Santos, physicist and project manager of a robotics program at the same center.

My name is Teresiah Muchiri, and I am from Nairobi, Kenya.

My journey began in a small slum called Kawangware at the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Life in the slum is not easy due to the overcrowded shelters made of sheet metal, lacking windows, and plagued by numerous hygiene and security issues. My parents, who did casual jobs, worked tirelessly to provide my three siblings and me with the basic tools to survive in such an environment.

After completing my primary education in the slum, my family relocated to Githurai, another area on the overpopulated and impoverished outskirts of Nairobi. Our new house was close to AVSI`s School St. Kizito Institute - a turning point in my story.

I proceeded to high school, managing to complete it by grace, despite the financial challenges. With my parents earning very little and the demands of my siblings' education, school fees were hard to come by. I could not proceed to college and took up a job in a cafeteria.

A year later, I saw a poster announcing St. Kizito’s next year’s intake. They were holding interviews, and I decided to try my luck. I passed the interview and received an admission letter to pursue an electrical installations and electronics course. However, it took another year to raise the school fees. I managed to gather enough for just one term, but the thought of how I would pay for the next was something I dared not dwell on.

Armed with a few exercise books, I walked through the gates of higher learning, overwhelmed with joy. My parents were surprised to learn I had started school. They were skeptical, particularly because St. Kizito was predominantly a boys’ school offering technical courses. My father doubted I would complete my studies without being distracted, but he was mistaken. He was also hesitant to support me financially, leaving me to fend for myself.

In my second year, I almost dropped out due to financial constraints. Father Valerio, our principal and spiritual mentor, noticed my frequent absences and called me to his office. When I explained my situation, he told me to return to class and assured me that he would handle everything. Later, I learned that the school had many underprivileged students like myself, and they reminded me that my background did not define me—I had nothing to be ashamed of.

A week later, I was informed that my school fees for the entire duration of my studies had been paid thanks to AVSI Distace Support project. I was in disbelief!

The Distance Support project offers disadvantaged children the opportunity to access services that would otherwise be denied to them, and it is a human journey in which they are encouraged to be themselves. Sponsorship at St. Kizito over the past 30 years has given hope to more than 15,000 poor students from East Africa and has been able to uphold their values and aspirations with courses such as electrician, hairdresser, plumber, cook, etc.

At St. Kizito, thanks to the Distance Support project of AVSI, I grew in every aspect—physically, intellectually, spiritually. The school was dedicated to ensuring that we left with a different perspective on life. The daily chapel visits and mentorship molded us into well-rounded individuals - ghetto kids transformed into model citizens. My life has changed.

After graduating from St. Kizito, I secured formal employment with a telecommunications company, where I worked for five years as the operations manager. In 2010, the entrepreneurial bug struck, and I decided to start my own company- Terrytronix. Today, we have expanded into an engineering company that employs around eight technicians and offers internships to countless students from TVET institutions, with a particular preference for St. Kizito students like myself.

I am also a parent to three beautiful children.

My life is what it is today because of the support I received.

I stand before you as proof that hope does not disappoint. Supporting needy students can transform lives. Without the generosity of friends abroad, I do not know what would have become of me and many other underprivileged students like myself.

Speaking to you today, offers me the first opportunity to thank all the donors who supported us through AVSI. I am who I am because you believed in mission of AVSI.

I am here to give a face to that African child who came from nothing to something because of your generosity. Through your generosity, I have learned many life lessons, with solidarity being at the top of my priority list. I promise to always pay it forward. Once again, thank you for believing in this African child through AVSI.

In Swahili, we say, asante sana.

They started as beneficiaries at the João Paulo II educational center, in the periphery of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil and today they teach at the same center: Julivam Estevam Souza Santos and Nelson Ramos de Jesus – a mathematics professor and a sports coach respectively – showed how education can change lives.

"At the center, for the first time, I was seen. I felt useful and that helped me understand my own value. Today, I try to do the same with my students: I want help them believe in themselves, I try to instill that self-confidence in them. I fell in love with this profession," said Souza Santos. "When you grow up in a neighborhood like this, being emotionally fragile is very easy. I was just one of many, because in a place like that, no one feels special."

But through education - Ramos de Jesus added - it's possible to find the strength to look forward, to the future. Today, as a sports coach, he tries to be a positive influence to the boys and girls he teaches. He knows it's very important to highlight their positive qualities to make them feel special and help their confidence grow.