I come am from Matuga constituency in Kwale County. I had the desire to go for a course in nutrition because back in my community, we have many cases of non-communicable diseases that are as a result of poor nutrition and lifestyle.
I joined North Coast Medical College in 2015. Getting this Diploma was a challenge because I am from a humble background, and I was joining a private institution. My parents are small scale farmers and were also supporting my younger sister in Dar-es-Salam at the University where she was lucky to get a scholarship. I am grateful that with the help of HELB through their partnership with Community Health Promotion Fund, I applied for a loan in 2016. At the time of application, I had a fee balance and
was in danger of not sitting my exams. It came right on time, and I was able to sit the exams and went on to clear the course and graduate in 2018 with a Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics.
Without HELB, I can’t even start to imagine how things would have turned out. I now have a job and I am in a position to repay the loan. I feel that I have to pay because the same way it has helped me, there are so many Kenyans who need to be helped.
I thank God that now I am able to use my knowledge to help my family. Sadly, I lost my aunt to hypertension before I could put this knowledge into use. Maybe it was not meant to help her, but my community is now benefiting from me.