Elema Badaqe was born the eldest in a family of seven and grew up in extreme poverty in Marsabit County.
His parents who were once livestock farmers, lost all their cattle to drought, leaving them poor and without a stable source of income. They were forced to rely on the goodwill of the community for food and basic needs.
Elama, determined to change the fate of his family, decided to pursue his education despite the challenges.
He studied under the scorching sun and at night ended up reading by the dim glow of a lantern at night.
Additionally, he was forced to sleep outside because of the heat in the region.
“I sleep outside because it is hot at night because of very high temperatures. In school, life is sometimes challenging because when I go to school, it takes me a 40-minute walk which sometimes wastes my lesson. It is a day school because the boarding has no space,” he said in a past interview.
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Elama Badaqe Education Journey
Getting to school was another struggle. Elama walked 40 minutes every day to get to school and sometimes he ended up missing lessons because of the long journey.
However, when he sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams, he scored 365 marks, emerging at the top of his class.
Moreover, he secured a place at Makueni Boys High School and because of his academic excellence and potential, he was awarded a full Wings to Fly Scholarship from Equity Group Foundation.
“I studied hard and got 365 marks in my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) Exams. I work hard because I want to provide for my family with basic needs, shelter, and remove them from this poverty,” he added.
At Makueni Boys, Elema did not disappoint. He excelled in his studies, scoring an A- in his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
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Equity Group Bosses Praise Elama
Andrew Chinzi, the Senior Communications Officer at Equity Group Holdings, recalled his first encounter with Elema during a home verification visit.
He explained that the journey to Balesa, Marsabit County, was long and difficult, approximately 700km from Nairobi.
However, what he found there was a young man with an unbreakable spirit.
“Elema’s story is one of determination and grit. The Group GCEO of Equity recognized his efforts and congratulated him for embracing the opportunity that came with the Wings to Fly scholarship. His dedication to education despite numerous challenges is truly inspiring,” Chinzi shared in a post.
Years later, Andrew had the chance to reunite with Elema, and it was one of the happiest moments of his life.
“Today has been one of the happiest days of my life! After four long years, I finally met Elema again, and the joy in my heart was beyond words.
“Elema’s success is a testament to perseverance and the power of education. I still remember how difficult my journey was, travelling from Nairobi to Balesa for his home verification visit. I could tell he was proud of how far he had come,” he stated in a post.
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