Isaac Waithaca comes from a humble family in Kenya and met unbelievable hardship in life. Incredibly strong and inspiring of character, he has overcome and continues to be an inspiration for all and he keeps volunteering to change the lives of the less fortunate. Read his incredible story and the role ICT played. This story is based on an older version of his autobiography, which he recently greatly expanded.
I was born in a very humble background in rural home in Nyeri, Kenya. I am the only child of a single mother but raised by my grandmother and my aunt. I went through primary education at Gakanga primary school up to class seven. In 2002, my family members were forced out on the only relative owned land I called home. I left my rural home for Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and engaged in small businesses. After two years out of primary school, I got an opportunity through primary school at Bosco Boys Nairobi. I got a high school scholarship where I proceeded to Christ the King High school Mogotio,
Rift Valley, Kenya. This is where I was caught up in the middle of the post election violence. I hailed from Kikuyu community, the largest ethnic group in Kenya which was being attacked at the heart of the Kalenjin Community. My school area was not an exception; around my school I happened to be one of the few victims in a blood bath. I escaped unhurt but lost a scholarship.
This was my stepping stone for agitation for peace and reconciliation after the brutal post election violence. I joined Muhuri Muchiri High School in Nairobi and went through my High School education. I have attended several college training since then.
Having gone through a lot, I can still testify that one’s destiny is not based on how and where you were born, how much you have undergone through but how you take and play the game nature throws at you. What is important is what you do when you are alive and how you convert the passes thrown your
way into goals. I know what it means to be poor but poverty has never stopped me. If you start feeling sorry for yourself and wait for someone to solve your problems, you will wait for a long time.
I worked as a social worker volunteer at Bosco Boys to take care of children in Need. I later started Master Peace Kenya, a bottom up grassroots peace building initiative registered in Kenya and was as well licensed to be integral part of MasterPeace Foundation with the Central Office in Cairo, Egypt. I also started Kencare Initiative in 2012, a youth development and empowerment initiative. I have worked as volunteer in
the two organizations where I have invested my passion, time and money to make a positive change in the Kenyan society and world at large. From the year 2013, I am embarking on talent development and empowerment initiative, the newly established Talent Kenya Project. My aim is to make it a National
Talent Scouting platform with grassroots competitions and empowerment. The platform will seek to identify and nurture talents with the best earning a sponsored one week trip cruise along River Nile, in close collaboration with Nile Project.
ICT as a success tool
Although I have never gone through any ICT/Computer class, I developed passion to get skilled in the field and learn more on the blessing of ICT. In primary school, I would spend my time in internet cafe during outings on Sunday afternoons. That’s when I opened my first email account, learned typing and would later be among the very first Kenyans to have a facebook account. I would as well visit various sites of interests; luckily, I would land on VoiceOver2015 website, a platform that necessitated people from the West (Developed World) and the South (Developing World) meeting to exchange ideas by posting forums about various issues of concern in their respective areas for different people from other parts of the world to get informed. The program was run by NCDO (www.ncdo.nl). I was later invited to the Netherlands to attend a special meet on the theme; Active Global Citizenship, as a recognition for online participation in exchanging information and as a result of my peace building activities in Kenya and of course my contribution to MasterPeace activities.
ICT has been key skill development factor in my three year peace-building activities. I have met different people from different walks of life with interests in peace related activities online, facilitating exchange of information. As a result, this is where I would be connected to MasterPeace later agreeing to partner by becoming an integral part of the global peace-building movement. In early 2013, I was invited by Nile Project to attend Nile Gathering in Aswan, Egypt after applying online, thanks to the role of ICT. Generally, ICT has enabled me to create amazing International networks with amazing people from different walks of life. With computer skills; my income has been greatly enhanced by computer skills. After High School till today, I have been typing project research and proposals for different clients due to my medium typing speed. Tourism activities have highly depended on internet as it requires maximum online marketing to thrive.
My community and voluntary work have been greatly enhanced by ICT. Inviting people for peace events and festivals has been a success due to the role of the internet. Currently, I launched an online crowd funding campaign on 1% Club Website (www.onepercentclub.com) to raise fund to set up a community computer center to offer basic computer skills and build entrepreneurial capacities of community members from humble background. As well, the computer project is set to contribute to imparting basic ICT skills to the community members who do not have an opportunity to benefit from the blessing of ICT. The project will run in partnership with RuralWeb(www.ruralweb.info) because we all have similar objectives; RuralWeb believes that sharing information on ICT and Computer use can help everyone acquire skills for personal use or professional goals which is in line with our major objective on strengthening the capacity of families and the community through various forums (ICT). I am determined to do my level best to ensure that many more enjoy and benefit from the blessing of ICT.
To Cheryl Van Kempen and Inemarie Dekker of RuralWeb, you really inspire me. It’s fulfilling to acknowledge the effort you are putting and believe that sharing information on ICT and Computer use can help everyone acquire skills for personal use or professional goals.
I invite you to follow your passion in life, that’s your special calling; let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words and your faith stronger than your feelings.
iwaithakaw@gmail.com
+254724590011/ +254711285601
isaacwaithaka.blogspot.nl – (read his full autobiography!)
