From the dream of an Italian school founded to educate orphans and disadvantaged children from the Mambrui hinterland, to becoming over the years one of the coast's most 'performing' institutes and finally taking three promising students to university. All thanks to the efforts of patron Raffaele Trolese, the donors who have helped Mary's School Onlus in Piove di Sacco (Padua) over the years, and the Ticino-based association 'Sorrisi Africani'.
This is the splendid social parable of Mary's School, created by Trolese in 2009 from nothing.
This year, three of the first girls to leave the school in previous years, after completing primary school and attending high school, again thanks to Italian scholarships, have enrolled in Kenyan universities: Sarah Thoya at Jomo Kenyatta University, in the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology. Dorcas Hariri, will follow history, geography and art at PwaniUniversity in Kilifi. Rose Voti, English and literature at Eldoret University. They will continue to be sponsored by friends and supporters of the non-profit organisations that already help Mary's School.
It is President Trolese himself who tells Malindikenya.net about this journey that has culminated in a fine result.
"Certainly in January 2009, when the adventure of Mary's School in Mambrui began with 30 children and two teachers, I did not think about what would happen in the future," he explains. "Only the perseverance to go to Kenya several times a year and to avail ourselves of good collaborators has allowed us, despite many difficulties, to still be present today. In 2017, the first group of students came out at the end of the eighth year of primary school, all with excellent results, ranking first among the schools in the Magarini district. They all went on to secondary but we did not receive much news about their academic performance. It was only in August this year that I learnt that three former Mary's School girls were going on to university, having been asked to help them continue their studies. So both friends from Mary's School Onlus and the African Smiles Association were willing to help them. For me, President, it was a great satisfaction because it came true what I have repeated many times in my meetings with the students: 'First of all, you must study since you have the opportunity, undertake a profession to help your country grow more and more'.