Born into a polygamous family of 14 children, Brian is the third born to the first wife of Mzee Kaiseyie, a 52-year-old from Kumpa Village in Kajiado Central Sub-County, near the Kenya-Tanzania border. Raised in a predominantly Maasai community, Brian was inspired from a young age by his neighbor, Mr. Titus Naikuni, the former CEO of Kenya Airways, who regularly gave motivational talks at Kumpa Primary School. Today, Brian is pursuing his dream of becoming an engineer as he studies Civil Engineering at the Rural Aid Kenya Training Institute in Athi River. In 2018, during his first year of secondary school (Grade 9), Brian was inspired to take action in promoting access to education for persons with disabilities. His neighbor, Nkamungu, a 10-year-old girl with a speech disability, had delayed entry into school due to stigma and financial challenges faced by her widowed mother. Moved by her situation, Brian advocated for Nkamungu’s enrollment in a special education school with appropriate facilities. Recognizing the broader need for parents of children with disabilities to support their children, Brian initiated a table banking project for women in Kumpa Village. Today, the group has 24 women, each saving between Ksh 200 and 1,000 weekly. The fund allows members to borrow at a 10% interest rate for expenses like school fees, house repairs, and other needs. Now in its third cycle of saving and borrowing, the group aims to secure seed grants to start income-generating projects, such as poultry and bee farming, which would also help mitigate the negative effects of climate change on their predominantly pastoralist community. Through this journey, Brian has learned the importance of connecting families to social protection systems. He recently helped a 15-year-old girl named Leah, whose parent has a disability, secure a four-year educational scholarship from the Kenya National Council of People Living with Disabilities. Brian exemplifies an AICS Scholar Leader—a young man who takes personal responsibility to address societal challenges with sustainable, local solutions. If you would like to support Brian’s project, please reach out.