I am Mauridi Kiza Ramadhan born in 1993 in the Eastern part of DR Congo, a province called South Kivu. I am the second born in a family of eight children. My family and I have lived in the refugee camp since 1996, we first fled to Tanzania and were received in a camp called Lufugu Refugee camp, in Kigoma.
I repatriated back to my country in 2008 and found the security not stable. It is after this that I found my way to Kenya. At the moment, I have been in Kenya for close to 11 years as a refugee in the Kakuma camp in Turkana County.
My journey with the Eastlands College of Technology has been quite adventurous. I came to know of Eastlands College of Technology from a friend who presented to me an electrical technology course brochure. From reading the brochure I was able to mirror myself as an engineer with the Electrical power generation companies; a career that is in high demand back in our country.
This really motivated me to start the application process. Having arrived at the college from the very first day, my ambition of pursuing the Electrical Technology (ELT) course grew stronger, this being influenced by the school infrastructure which was quite spectacular to me. One of the things that really caught my attention was the well-furnished workshop for Electrical wireman and Electronic mechanics. I had the privilege of meeting skilled trainers in Electrical Engineering and learning other fascinating modules such as entrepreneurship, man and value and life skills. In my learning quest as a student I have interacted with students from all walks of life and I found the Kenyan friends to be quite hospitable and with an interesting culture.
It was not easy for me to raise the full tuition fees and meet other personal needs. I remember in one instance I was about to be chased from school due to fee arrears. Nevertheless I felt this would not be a hindrance for me to soar high in the Electrical Technology course, the desire to continue still flowed in me.
Many thanks to the bursary from Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) scholarship program under the Informal Sector Business Institute (ISBI) that came to my help. The bursary covered 50% of my Grade 3 fees and a promise for additional sponsorship was given on condition that I work hard on my studies. I truly thank the College for the great impact it has had in my life.
One of the greatest challenge I have encountered in my journey with the College although sorted, was the financial bit that was about to cause a dropout. But thanks to the Informal Sector Business Institute (ISBI) program that came to my rescue. The other challenge faced was adaptability to the Kenyan system of education given that physics as a subject was not available in my former high school.
Being passionate about the course was one great weapon that has helped all along. I came to like the practical aspect of the course which forms the largest percentage of our syllabi. I would also not fail to mention that I have gained so much in the module as a result of group discussions with other students and the college production unit; where much of the practical skills is put in practice.
I have greatly enjoyed spending time in the lab on the practical projects together with other students. To my surprise, I later found myself doing well in all the practical tests, particularly in electrical wireman. I have also enjoyed the interaction I have had with the Kenyan, Sudanese, Tanzanian, Ugandan and Ethiopian classmates.
Sincerely it has been a wonderful experience.