Meet Shumba: Life-changing Impact
More than a decade ago, Kilgoris community member Shumba (pictured above at her 8th grade graduation) happily played and roamed the fields of her village with friends.
But, at just three years old, she experienced a life-threatening diagnosis–a severe ringworm infection on her head. If left untreated, ringworm can spread, grow fungus on deeper levels of the skin, and risk spreading the infection to someone else. Without access to antibiotics and first aid, treatable infections like ringworm can quickly become deadly in rural Kilgoris, Kenya.
A TKP team of volunteers and staff members diagnosed and treated the infection so that Shumba could recover and return to good health. Shortly after, Shumba joined TKP's Intimigom campus as a preschool student.
Now, more than a decade later, Shumba is thriving. She recently graduated from eighth grade and is advancing to high school! She dreams of becoming a math teacher and helping other children throughout Kenya achieve their educational goals.
There’s more to the story!
Meet Calvin McNelly, a TKP ambassador and supporter since TKP's inception...and the young man helping to treat Shumba's ringworm in the photo above. Calvin grew up visiting Kilgoris with his family and witnessing the growth of TKP throughout his childhood. As a sophomore in high school, Calvin was visiting TKP schools and came across two nurses–including his aunt (pictured with Shumba on her lap)–treating Shumba's ringworm infection. He learned that one of her friends had died of a similar infection just weeks before and that Shumba could follow a similar course without intervention.
"My encounter with Shumba inspired me to pursue a newfound passion for health and medicine. I am now graduating from my ophthalmology residency in six months. The work and impact of TKP spans from students to teachers and health professionals to volunteers and is truly inspiring."
– Calvin McNelly, TKP Ambassador
Now, Calvin is a soon-to-be ophthalmologist with a beautiful family of his own (pictured below). We're grateful for Calvin's work and dedication to TKP's mission of keeping students healthy and nourished.
Access to First Aid Saves Lives
Your generous investment this holiday season makes stories like Shumba's possible.
A $1,000 investment supports non-emergency student medical treatment for one school term–including antibiotics, first aid, and infection treatment.
Will you join us today to equip our health team and supply medical resources for our 2,100 students? We can't change and save lives without YOU.
