Jack Francis O.
St. Al’s Graduation Class of 2006, 2nd Year of College Accounting
From Discouragement and Hopelessness to Education and Empowerment
Jack Francis O., 23, is the last of 11 children. But only he and his eldest brother are still living. The rest of his siblings all died while they were still young. His mom died in 1994 and then his father in 1998, both of HIV related illnesses. His life situation in rural western Kenya had become “full of discouragement and hopelessness.” “It was by God’s grace that the door of assistance opened for me at St Aloysius.”
After the death of his mother Jack was invited into a neighbor’s family to live, even though they already had 9 of their own children! “They were truly Good Samaritans because I was all alone.” Jack’s father had gone to work in the tea factories of Kenya’s Rift Valley and his elder brother Bernard had gone in search of work in Nairobi.
After finishing primary school in 2001 Jack also came to Nairobi to live with his brother. He was hoping to attend a secondary school, but the family “financial situation was not working as planned.” Jack stayed out of school for a year and worked in an auto body shop. His brother tried to convince him to give up hope on ever going to back school. But Jack held on to “the hope of educational empowerment,” and eventually, by God’s grace, found himself at St Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School.
“I knew that success does not come easily. Because of my background in poverty, hard work studying is the only way for someone like me to have a promising future..” As proof so his hard work, Jack finished each year as the very top ranked student of his class. “Soon the school became like a home to me since I spent so much time there. I never missed a day of school.”
Looking back since graduating, Jack now appreciates the school’s high standards of dress, disciplined behavior, mutual respect and academic expectations. He is confident that because of the teachers’ skill and motivation, “St Al’s will soon become the best performing school in the slum.”
“My experience at St Al’s raised my hopes, and the light of a bright future started to emerge.” Jack is now well on his way to achieving his goal of becoming a professional Accountant. He plans to complete his Accounting CPA by June 2010 and continue on for advanced accounting degrees while working. His college fees are paid by the school’s benefactors through the St Aloysius Graduate Program.
“Education will enable me to create positive changes in society.” When Jack finally starts making money he says that, “The first people that I will help repay is the family that took me in. Then, I want to help sponsor at least 2 students at St Aloysius. Then finally I want to help out by brother and his family.” Jack seems to have integrated the school motto of “Learn, Love and Serve”.
He is grateful to this school, “for having given us this opportunity to demonstrate our ability to study and share with the community.” He says that the benefactors to St Al’s “are making the greatest investment in education that Kibera has ever seen. Well done!” He goes on to say that the graduates, “Will be able to extend to others the great love that you have shared with us.”
~ by Jim Collins, SJ
To learn more about and support St. Al’s, please visit the website http://www.sagnairobi.org/ or call 1-800-922-5327 at the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus - http://www.jesuits-chi.org/
