Ndung’u Nyoro, 39

Founder

Affecto Foundation

He is without a doubt the proverbial brother’s keeper having made a name for himself for years for using social media to carry out fundraisers for the needy.

After working for over a decade at three different pharmaceutical companies, four years ago, Ndung’u eventually founded Affecto Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to combat poverty through education.

“In 2017, when I realised that my passion lay in charity, I resigned. Apart from education, health and community development, our organisation offers mentorship programmes that provide young people with career guidance.”

Currently, the foundation has 105 children that it is taking care of in different schools across the country. He says he has been active online for several years, and likes meeting new people, putting effort into whatever he is doing and sharing knowledge. Social media provides an ideal platform where people can exchange valuable ideas. However, it takes time to understand followers’ needs, wants and behaviours.

"“In 2017, when I realised that my passion lay in charity, I resigned. Apart from education, health and community development, our organisation offers mentorship programmes that provide young people with career guidance.”"

Before starting Affecto, Ndung’u says that a local bank selected him to participate in shortlisting and selecting beneficiaries of its scholarship programme, he could not say no.

He had participated in charity programmes for long, so when the selection started he was ready to go. He was, however, not prepared for the deep and raw poverty he encountered when the project started.

“Even now, we are receiving students who sat their KCPE in 2019 and scored more than 350 marks. Some homes had children who had not even eaten for several days, yet they were reaching out for help with education.”

In his sentiments, lighting one candle in every home came out as the most appropriate way to help pull the rest out of the doldrums of squalor. “That is how Watoto Wasome was started in late 2017. The initiative goes beyond just paying fees but also offering books, uniforms, and shopping so that the beneficiaries compete like the rest of the students.”

However, the father of two girls says this is just a drop in the ocean, considering they cannot support the hundreds of applications they have been receiving because of limited funds.

He, however, admitted that since the initiative survives on funding from the public, they only afford to support a few needy cases.

– Hilary Kimuyu