In 2023, Angela Achola made a deliberate decision to visit some villages in Kisumu and Homabay counties of Kenya, armed with notebooks, pens, and recording devices. She conducted a door-to-door survey for a renewable energy project she was conceptualizing.
For several weeks, she worked closely with different community members. Coupled with the data she had collected and the help she was getting from the members, she documented all their challenges while exploring possible solutions for the same. “Such concepts are not easy to develop, and you have to work closely with the community members to listen to their experiences and understand their needs,” she says.
Nonetheless, by the end of the process, she had gathered enough information to design a renewable energy awareness initiative with the goal of promoting clean and sustainable energy solutions.
Turning Data into Impact
In 2025, armed with the data, Angela approached one of the leading solar energy companies in Kenya for a partnership in her project: sensitization of community members on renewable energy. Once the partnership materialized, a team was formed that created awareness in the counties. There was an active uptake of solar energy by the community members, the visibility of the company was enhanced, and the initiative contributed to environmental conservation. She started all this while in her third year at Strathmore University.
But this initiative is a story of opportunity that started years earlier.
A Scholarship That Changed the Journey
Angela had always dreamed of becoming an electrical engineer. “Given the situation at home, I would not manage to join university and do the course I wanted,” Angela says, “I always admired electrical engineers.”
Her turning point came when she attended a Mathematics competition organized by Strathmore University, where the top students were awarded scholarships. She knew that the university education was possible. She applied for scholarships offered by I&M Bank through Strathmore University and was selected. The university offered her a full scholarship to pursue her dream career, and since then, she has given her best.
Looking ahead
Angela’s focus for the future is to transform communities through sustainable energy solutions. She is hoping to develop her sensitization project and many other initiatives to contribute towards sustainable and renewable energy. She wants to focus all her energy on developing new solar energy initiatives that will ensure a smooth transition to environmentally safe practices. In the face of the ever-increasing climate change-related impacts, such initiatives will be a plus to saving the environment for the benefit of all.
Angela’s journey reflects the bold steps that Strathmore University Foundation is taking in ensuring that talented students, especially from vulnerable communities, receive the much-needed high-level education to transform their lives and those of their communities.
Through its partnership with I&M Bank, the foundation has continued to provide scholarships that enable students pursue their academic dreams and develop solutions to challenges in the society. Many of the beneficiaries who have been through this, have established multi-million initiatives, have successful careers and businesses and most importantly, continue to contribute to the socio-economic transformation of our societies.
Therefore, Angela’s story serves as a reminder of the importance of opportunity especially in education for everyone. It is a strong reminder that initiatives, such as Strathmore University’s scholarship opportunities, supported by individuals, partners, alumnis, well-wishers and organizations through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is a clear pathway of transforming lives for a sustainable future.
