Hello, my name is Rosalia Katanu Kimweli, and everyone calls me Rosa. I am a bubbly 19-year-old living in Nairobi, Kenya, passionate about working with children.

Thanks to the love and support I have received throughout the years, I have been given a life-changing opportunity to pursue a degree in my dream course - paediatric nursing - at Oxford Brookes University (UK), which will begin in September 2022. Whilst my tuition fees are being covered by a generous supporter, I am seeking your help to cover my living costs in the United Kingdom. This fundraiser has been started to raise £30,000 so I can pursue my 3-year long degree. 

Growing up I wanted to be a judge so I could contribute to a fairer world for children. When I was 15, I volunteered at an orphanage in Nairobi, and I got the opportunity to take care of babies by feeding, washing, clothing, and rocking them to sleep. That’s when I discovered my love for caregiving, and realised what I wanted to become: a paediatric nurse. 

My mother Mary is a housekeeper, and my father Stephen is an unskilled worker who works odd jobs. Together they support our family of 4 kids. Through the family my mother works for, the Wilsons, and partnership of Rosh Khodabakhsh a film producer who has worked on film production in Kenya since 2012, I have had the collective financial support of many film industry well wishers to support my education.

As part of that education, at the age of 10 I won a place on The Beacon Scholarship, a leadership programme for gifted African children, developing future leaders for their communities. I was introduced to leadership skills, teamwork, and community coaction, which helped equip me with an ability to connect with people from all kinds of backgrounds. This gave me the confidence to teach English to Sunday School-going children in Katisaa, my home village. Over the six years in the programme, I designed and presented six citizenship projects set in Nairobi and in rural areas, including my own. These projects included educating village families on efficient water conservation, educating children on the effects of deforestation, and rallying people to plant trees and providing better water access.

Through the Beacon and with the aid of regular film industry donors I was fortunate to go to two of the best schools in Kenya - Pembroke and Hillcrest - until the age of 16. I then received a 100% scholarship to finish my last two years of high school at the fantastic Abbotsholme School in the UK. Despite being in a new country, I settled in well and I applied to Oxford Brookes University for their prestigious paediatric nursing course. I am super proud to have been accepted!!!!! 

Whilst this was amazing and fantastic news to me, I came to realise that there is very limited funding for undergraduate international students and I was looking at a total amount of £105,000 for the 3-year course to cover tuition and living expenses. Though a generous supporter has now offered to cover my £15,000 a year tuition fees, I am still left with  a deficit of £30,000 to cater for everything else, even allowing for me working part time.

Today I ask you to help me achieve my goal of raising £30,000 so I can earn my degree in paediatric nursing, 

As Maya Angelou said, “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.”  You will definitely transform my reality , and I will in turn transform reality for the children I care for.

PS. Please note when donating, that GoFundMe offer a choice to make an optional 15% tip to the platform. Take care to select whether you want to add this tip or not, you are under no obligation to do so. 
Thank you,
Rosa