Kenyan young mothers see quality education as guarantor for children's bright future

NAIROBI –Regina Mwangi delayed marriage in order to pursue a career in medicine, which had always been a badge of honor back in the day for women and girls in her ancestral farming village in central Kenya. 
Now the mother of two in her late 30s was convinced that postponing marriage would enable her to accomplish her career dreams and in turn become financially independent. 

Speaking to Xinhua on Sunday as the world marked Mother's Day, Mwangi said that as a married woman with a thriving career in medicine, she has always prioritized education for her offspring aware it was the only guarantor for their bright future. 

"Having sacrificed enormous resources and time to land in my present career, am in a vantage position to inspire my two young boys to study hard and dream for a more fulfilling future," said Mwangi. 

She defied entrenched cultural myths to delay her marriage and pursue post graduate studies in clinical medicine at a time majority of her peers were content at becoming life-long homemakers. 

Despite her busy schedule at a pharmaceutical distribution company where she has worked for close to a decade, Mwangi always find time to coach her children who are in lower primary school. 

"It is true there is pressure on my part to deliver at my work station but I have always sacrificed time to oversee my children's homework and mentor them accordingly," Mwangi remarked. 

She belongs to a growing army of young and upwardly mobile Kenyan women whose passion to see their children follow their footstep in the world of careers or business is unmatched. 

Mwangi emphasized that educated and gainfully employed women are in a better position to instill the ethos of hard work, discipline and devotion to duty in their young offspring. 

"There is no better inheritance to bequeath a child in this modern age than quality education. As a couple we have set aside a significant budget to ensure our children obtain the best education within or outside the country," Mwangi told Xinhua. 

Kenyans joined their counterparts from other parts of the world to mark the Mother's Day amid huge appreciation of their huge contribution to the survival and prosperity of the entire society. 

The country's Netizens flooded social media platforms with adoring tributes to their mothers whom they described as unwavering providers, teachers and mentors. 

During online and face to face conversation with Xinhua ahead of Mother's Day, the majority of Kenyans credited their mothers for inspiring them to pursue education with zeal. 

"My mother was very instrumental in my academic success even if she was half literate since the society of her era could not allow her to remain in school for long," said Mercy Ngungi, a linguist. 

Kenyan mothers from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds were unanimous in their desire to safeguard a better future for their children through investing in their education. 

Zeinab Tsuma, a small-scale business owner in her mid 30s said that she has always felt obliged to spare a significant portion of her income to invest in the education of her young son. 

"Some of us come from communities that do not value education but I have decided to be different. Am confident my son will change the narrative by excelling in school. I will spare no effort to ensure he is educated up to the university level," said Tsuma. 

Her young son is enrolled at a private day school located in Nairobi's eastern fringes where parents get value for their money thanks to quality teaching, mentorship and a wide range of extra-curriculum activities on offer. 
The mother's day was marked with little fanfare in Kenya but there was a ringing endorsement on the crucial role of matriarchs in shaping the destiny of future generations. 

Clare Osoro, an office administrator and mother of one, said that investing in her young son's education has always been a priority despite inflationary pressures. 

"It is a fact that blue collar jobs in Kenya and globally have their fair share of challenges but am determined to ensure my son receive quality education in a private school regardless of the financial implication," said Osoro. 
The daughter of retired civil servants has already set up a slush fund in a local commercial bank to cater for her son's education up to the university level. Enditem 

Transferring U.S. embassy to Jerusalem may spark war in the region: experts 
ALGIERS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Two Algerian analysts have warned that the U.S. intention to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem on May 14 would possibly pave the way to sparking full-scale war in the region. 

Nourredine Bekis, professor with Political Sociology at the University of Algiers, told Xinhua that the U.S. decision is pushing for a climate of tension and congestion that could lead to unexpected confrontations. 
Bekis said that "Israel has been working for days to fabricate a kind of clashes by targeting the Iranian forces in Syria to provoke Iran to make reactions and ultimately drive Israel's allies to this clash." 

He noted that "there are still some components that could play key role in any potential war against Israel and its allies, including the Shiite militias in Iraq, Hezbollah of Lebanon and Houthi militias in Yemen." 

Abdelhamid Cherif, a strategic analyst and also former officer at the Algerian Army, told Xinhua that the issue of transferring the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem falls within the promises made by U.S. President Trump, who already fulfilled the promise of withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal. 

"The United States would not dare to take such decisions if there were not conspire from some Arabs, especially the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. On the other hand, the U.S. controversial decisions are meant to impose a kind of pressure on the resistance in Syria, as well as on Iran," he noted. Enditem 
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