“I still remember the day I discovered my purpose for teaching—it feels like yesterday,” Emeliya recalls with a gentle smile. Fresh out of high school, she was helping her mother run the school while trying to figure out what to do with her life. Teaching wasn’t part of her plan; it was simply a way to help while she decided what came next.
Among her students was Walusungu, the smallest child in her class, and Emeliya naturally felt a responsibility to nurture her. Walusungu was only two years old, far younger than the others, and Emeliya never imagined the little girl was following along in her lessons.
Then one morning, Walusungu approached her and, in a small, confident voice, began counting numbers and spelling letters. Emeliya was stunned. She hadn’t known Walusungu could do either, and the child’s quiet confidence caught her completely by surprise.
“In that moment, something shifted inside me,” Emeliya says. “Teaching this little girl—helping her succeed—filled me with a sense of purpose and joy I had never felt before. Walusungu’s success felt like my own, and I knew I wanted to experience that fulfillment again and again. That day didn’t just reveal a skill—it revealed my future. Walusungu’s success became the voice that called me into teaching.”
Today, Emeliya teaches 65 students in grades 4 and 5 at Ng’ombe Jubilee Community School. What began as a temporary way to help her mother has grown into a life’s calling. For Emeliya, teaching isn’t just blackboard and chalk—it’s creating an environment where children feel seen, heard, and capable of more than they imagined. Her goal is not only to build knowledge but also to nurture confidence and self-expression in every child.
Early this month, during an Impact One training, she stood in front of her peers and confidently modeled a lesson, inviting them to witness how she brings learning to life in her classroom. This was no small step for someone who once avoided speaking in public. Each training has added a new layer to her practice—methods that make learning interactive, creative, and meaningful.
One of those methods she’s exploring is journaling, a strategy she has been learning in our Improving Writing Skills training. Many of her students struggle to put their thoughts into words. Emeliya now invites them to write short paragraphs about different scenarios without worrying about spelling. The results are simple, but powerful. Children who rarely speak are beginning to share their feelings on paper. Others draw their ideas when writing feels too hard. For Emeliya, these journals are windows into her students’ lives and tools to guide her teaching.
The impact doesn’t end in her classroom. When a teacher like Emeliya learns new skills, every child she teaches carries those lessons home. Parents notice their children reading aloud. Younger siblings start copying letters and words. A single training session becomes hundreds of moments of learning in homes and communities.
Emeliya is now pursuing a degree in Secondary Teaching so she can continue helping her students express themselves with clarity and confidence. “Because of these trainings, I feel equipped to give my students what they need,” she says. “I want them to find their own voices.”
This is the heart of Impact One—empowering teachers so that children and entire communities can thrive. A donation of $35 a month can provide 10 children with a life-changing education all year. Your monthly donations will provide teacher trainings, educational supplies, reading programs and more for our partner schools within Ng’ombe so that they can provide a quality education for their children. Your gift doesn’t end with one classroom, it travels with every child who learns, every family that witnesses, and every community that grows stronger.
You can be part of this ripple effect. Give today, and help another teacher discover their potential and in turn, help hundreds of children discover theirs.
