Dominic Orina: Kenyan Teacher Transforming Lives and Nominated for KSh 129m Global Prize

Dominic Orina: Kenyan Teacher Transforming Lives and Nominated for KSh 129m Global Prize.

Dominic Orina, a 34-year-old teacher, began his career in 2017 at Kugerwet Primary School in Baringo County. Upon arrival, he quickly noticed that the tea-growing community had little focus on nutritious food, leaving students without adequate meals.

This realization sparked his innovative solution of using sacks to grow vegetables. The students enthusiastically adopted the practice, incorporating it into their agricultural lessons.

Orina’s initiative soon expanded from sack gardening to full-fledged school gardens, producing enough vegetables to feed the students and even generate surplus. He remarked that the students learned both theory and practice in cultivating crops such as spinach and traditional vegetables, enriching their agricultural knowledge.

Orina’s teaching methods emphasize hands-on learning. Using both traditional and digital storybooks, he integrates technology to enhance students’ reading and communication skills.

Group activities in the garden and classroom foster teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving, while practical lessons develop creativity and understanding.

He reported that teaching English using tablets loaded with digital storybooks has significantly improved the students’ communication abilities, creating a dynamic learning environment that merges academic and life skills.

Impact Beyond the Classroom: The Dress Me Up Initiative

As the gardens flourished, the surplus vegetables were sold to the community. Rather than keeping the profits, Orina reinvested them into his students by replacing torn uniforms and shoes.

This effort evolved into the “Dress Me Up Initiative,” which has provided over 150 students with new uniforms, improving their self-esteem and school attendance.

With support from online followers and well-wishers, the initiative expanded to supply sanitary towels and learning materials, removing barriers to education for underprivileged students. Orina noted that addressing these challenges has ensured more children stay in school and excel academically.

Orina recently introduced poultry farming to his students, providing 22 of them with two hens each to start small-scale projects at home. He reported positive feedback from students and parents, with no losses in their poultry ventures.

One student even shared that her chickens had started laying eggs, inspiring her to take the first fruits as an offering to church. Orina expressed pride in how these projects teach responsibility and gratitude to his young learners.

Advocate for Sustainable Agriculture

Orina’s influence extends to the broader community through workshops and his Facebook group, which boasts 475,000 members. He uses these platforms to promote sustainable agricultural practices like water conservation, soil protection, and organic farming.

His efforts caught the attention of First Lady Rachel Ruto, who invited him to contribute to a national school meals program.

Through annual vegetable gardening exhibitions, Orina connects his students with global audiences and aims to establish international student exchange programs to broaden their horizons.

Orina shared that his teaching and farming practices focus on environmental sustainability. He emphasized using recycled materials for gardening and championing tree-planting initiatives to mitigate climate change effects.

Academic Excellence and Recognition

Under Orina’s leadership, Kugerwet Primary School has become a hub of innovation, with students excelling in agriculture projects and academics. He attributed their discipline, responsibility, and performance to the transformative power of education in societal change.

His dedication earned him a nomination among the top 50 finalists for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize. He expressed gratitude and humility, viewing the nomination as a testament to his purpose-driven approach to teaching.

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Hopes for the Global Teacher Prize

Orina expressed optimism about winning the KSh 129 million prize, which he plans to invest in empowering the next generation through farming and economic skills. He also aims to extend support to more students from humble backgrounds, reiterating his belief in education as a universal right.

“I am humbled and thankful to God. This is a message for everyone to follow their purpose,” he remarked, emphasizing that everyone has a unique role in life.

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