From Learners to Leaders: BVI’s “Working Bees” Head to University

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Today's post is an update from our ministry partner Dr. Jackline Musyoka Founder & Executive Director of Beyond the Vision Initiative. Everyone at Beyond Vision Foundation are excited to see these young ladies grow in impact and pray they are blessed and protected.

After eight months of dedicated volunteer service, three young women whose journeys were shaped by BVI’s programmes are transitioning to university, carrying forward a commitment to learning, leadership and service.

Beyond the Vision Initiative recently celebrated Sharon, Sophia and Faith Wangare as they concluded their volunteer journey, which began in January 2026. Affectionately known within BVI as our “Working Bees,” the three young women are now preparing to begin the next chapter of their education after securing university and college placements.

Sharon will join Murang’a University to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management. Sophia will join Kenyatta University to pursue a Bachelor of Education in Arts, while Faith Wangare will join the University of Eldoret to pursue a Diploma in Fashion Design and Clothing Technology.

Their transition is an important milestone for BVI. It reflects their determination and personal growth, as well as the long-term value of investing consistently in children and young people through education, scholarships, mentorship, spiritual formation, and meaningful opportunities to lead.

Serving with Speed, Precision and Heart

Throughout their volunteer journey, Sharon, Sophia, and Faith became valued members of BVI’s programme delivery team. They supported the facilitation of BVI’s mental health curriculum at the BVI community school and other partner schools. They also contributed to the Jikimu Kimaisha Livelihoods Programme through participant registration, documentation, data collection, and coaching activities.

They earned the name “Working Bees” because of the speed, precision, and enthusiasm with which they completed their responsibilities. They were dependable, eager to learn and willing to provide support wherever it was needed. More importantly, they approached their work with a genuine sense of ownership and care for the communities BVI serves.

Their contribution was especially meaningful because each of them understood BVI’s work through personal experience. Sharon and Faith attended BVI’s community school, where they received educational support and participated in the organisation’s mentorship, etiquette training, and pastoral instruction activities.

Sophia benefited from BVI’s Scholarship Programme, together with the mentorship, personal development and other activities provided to scholarship beneficiaries. Through this support, she was accompanied in her educational journey and equipped with the confidence, values and life skills that she later brought to her volunteer service.

Although their individual journeys through BVI were different, all three returned with a shared desire to extend to others the care, guidance, and opportunities they had received.

Giving Back What They Had Received

For Sharon and Faith, returning to support the BVI community school held particular significance. They were serving in the same environment that had contributed to their own educational and personal development. Together with Sophia, they also enjoyed working with children in BVI’s other partner schools.

The three young women shared that supporting and shaping other children came naturally because they were giving back what they had once received. They understood the importance of being seen, encouraged, and supported during a child’s formative years.

Having personally experienced care grounded in God’s love, they found it natural to extend the same love, patience, and encouragement to the children they served. Their contribution went beyond completing assigned responsibilities. It became an expression of gratitude and a practical demonstration of how young people can become active contributors to their communities when they are trusted, mentored and given opportunities to lead.

As a faith-informed organization, BVI believes that service rooted in love affirms the dignity, potential and God-given worth of every person. Sharon, Sophia, and Faith demonstrated this principle through the way they related to children, programme participants, colleagues, and community members.

Growing in Confidence and Leadership

While the three young women made a significant contribution to BVI’s programmes, they also described the volunteer journey as an important period of personal learning and growth. They gained practical experience in programme delivery, community engagement, facilitation, documentation, data collection, and teamwork.

Most notably, they shared that their confidence had been strengthened. Regular interaction with children, adult participants, school communities, and programme teams gave them opportunities to communicate, take responsibility, solve problems, and recognize their own leadership potential.

Their experience illustrates the mutual value of well-supported youth volunteering. Communities and programmes benefit from the energy, insight, and commitment of young volunteers, while the volunteers gain practical skills, confidence and exposure that prepare them for further education, employment, and leadership.

 Known by Their Fruit

Scripture reminds us in Matthew 7:16, “You will know them by their fruits.” This verse carries meaning for BVI because the enduring impact of development work is revealed in the lives and choices of the people who have participated in it.

The fruit of BVI’s work is not measured only by the number of learners enrolled, scholarships awarded, training sessions delivered or participants reached. It is also seen when a young person who has received support returns to encourage another child, when a former learner becomes a trusted facilitator, and when someone who has experienced God’s love chooses to share that love through service.

Sharon, Sophia, and Faith represent this kind of lasting impact. Their journeys through BVI’s community school, Scholarship Programme, mentorship, and pastoral instruction activities, followed by their transition into volunteer service and now higher education, demonstrate what can become possible when young people receive sustained support and opportunities to exercise responsibility.

BVI has been proud to introduce them within the communities we serve as part of the fruit of our work. Their conduct, commitment and growth provide a powerful reminder that investing in one young person can generate an influence that extends to many others.

“We Will Always Come Back Home”

To mark the conclusion of their volunteer service, BVI staff hosted a pizza party in their honour. The gathering provided an opportunity to celebrate their contribution, reflect on shared experiences, and wish them well as they prepare to join their respective institutions.

Although they are leaving for university, Sharon, Sophia, and Faith made it clear that their relationship with BVI is not ending. They promised that they will always return “home” whenever they have school breaks and extended holidays, ready to reconnect with the team and continue supporting the work where possible.

For BVI, their description of the organization as home is deeply meaningful. It reflects relationships built over many years through education, scholarship support, mentorship, faith, belonging, and shared service.

The team already feels the absence of the “Working Bees.” Their energy, warmth and reliability had become part of everyday life at BVI. As we prepare to welcome future volunteers, we hope they will demonstrate the same humility, initiative, compassion, and commitment to excellence.

Celebrating the Next Chapter

As Sharon, Sophia and Faith begin their higher education journeys, they carry with them BVI’s gratitude, prayers, and confidence. We pray that they will flourish academically, remain grounded in their values and continue using their knowledge, skills, and talents in service to others.

Their progress has not happened overnight. It is the outcome of their own determination, supported by years of education, scholarship assistance, mentorship, pastoral instruction, practical experience, and consistent encouragement. Their stories affirm the importance of walking alongside children and young people throughout the different stages of their development.

We are deeply grateful to Beyond Vision Foundation and its donors for investing in programmes that make such journeys possible. Through this partnership, young people are being equipped not only to navigate difficult circumstances, but also to grow into confident leaders who contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Today, we celebrate three young women transitioning to higher education. We celebrate their service, their growth and the children and community members whose lives they have touched. Above all, we celebrate the fruit of sustained partnership, faithful investment and God’s love translated into action.