For Machio Beatrice Awino, education has never been something to take for granted. It has been a dream she has had to fight for through financial hardship, delayed school fees, casual work and moments when continuing her education seemed almost impossible.
Today, Machio is a third-year Bachelor of Science student in Agricultural Economics at the University of Eldoret and a TAGDev 2.0 scholar. But her journey to university was not straightforward.
As the firstborn in her family, Machio grew up watching her mother carry the responsibility of providing for the family. With no stable source of income, her mother relied on casual labour to put food on the table and meet the family's basic needs.
Sometimes, even school fees could not be paid on time.
“I saw the struggles at home and I wanted to change our situation,” Machio says.
Her determination was noticed by members of her church, who stepped in at critical moments to support her education. They saw potential in her and believed that investing in her education could change her future.
But as she progressed in her education, the financial burden became heavier.
Machio completed a certificate in Community Development and later pursued a Diploma in Agribusiness Management and Marketing at Bukura Agricultural College in Western Kenya. However, after completing her diploma, financial constraints made it impossible for her to immediately continue with her education.
Her dream of earning a university degree was put on hold. Instead of giving up, Machio turned to what she knew best,agriculture.
She began producing seedlings as a way of earning an income, helping her family meet their basic needs while keeping alive the hope that one day she would return to school.
In 2024, Machio applied for the TAGDev 2.0 scholarship at Egerton University. She was not selected.
For someone whose education had already been interrupted by financial challenges, it could have been a discouraging moment. But Machio decided to try again. A year later, she submitted another application to the University of Eldoret and luckily she was selected for the scholarship.
This time, everything changed.
When the message requesting home validation arrived, Machio knew that something she had almost stopped believing in was becoming possible again.
“That email for home validation meant a lot to me. I could not even imagine that my dream that was almost lost was coming back to fulfilment,” she recalls.
Then came the acceptance message. For Beatrice, it was more than an admission to university. It was a second chance at the future she had fought for.
It was also an opportunity to give back to the people who had believed in her.
“I knew I had gotten the opportunity to change not only my home but also the community that believed in me,” she says.
Beatrice did not wait until graduation to begin making an impact.
With the opportunity provided through TAGDev 2.0, she began thinking about how she could create a more sustainable source of income for her mother and once again her solution was agriculture.
She leased a quarter-acre piece of land for KSh 3,500 and planted yellow beans. She then borrowed another quarter-acre from a friend who was not using the land and planted Wairimu beans(Long red beans).
It was a modest beginning, but for her, the farms represented something much bigger. They were an investment in her family's future.
She also drew support from friends studying at Egerton University, many of whom were equally determined to find ways of raising money for their daily needs.
Together, they shared ideas, labour and encouragement, showing her that opportunities do not always begin with large resources. Sometimes, they begin with a small piece of land, a few seeds and the determination to make something grow.
For the yellow beans harvest she got 150kgs and sold Ksh16000 for a 90kg bag and the remaining 60Kgs at Ksh200 per kilo making her a total Ksh28000 for the yellow beans. On the other variety wairimu beans she harvested 90 kgs and sold at Ksh120 per kg making a total of Ksh10800
Her vision was to build a small business for her mother that can generate an income and give her greater financial independence. While for Beatrice, the goal is not simply to complete her degree,it is to use what she is learning to create solutions.
Studying Agricultural Economics has given her an opportunity to connect her personal experiences with the knowledge she is gaining at university.
She understands first-hand what financial insecurity can mean for a family. She also understands the potential agriculture holds as a source of livelihoods when farmers have access to the right knowledge, markets and opportunities.
Her experience,from producing seedlings to growing beans has strengthened her belief that agriculture can be more than subsistence.
It can be a pathway to economic empowerment and that is where she sees her future.
She wants to use her education and experience to contribute to the development of farmers and communities while building sustainable enterprises of her own.
Her story is a reminder that impact does not always begin with a big project or a large investment.
Sometimes, it begins with one student who refuses to give up.A daughter who wants to change her family's circumstances.
A young woman who works hard today because she believes in what they can become tomorrow.
For Machio, TAGDev 2.0 did more than provide financial support for her education.
It reopened a door that hardship had nearly closed and now, she is using that opportunity to plant new seeds,for her education, for her mother, for her community and for the future she once feared she might never reach.
“My dream that was almost lost is coming back to fulfilment,” said Beatrice , TAGDev 2.0 Scholar