MASK Stories

Benson: "Art can take me to my destination."

Benson, from a village in West Laikipia, Kenya, joined MASK when he was 14 and was an active member of our Creativity Club for four years, displaying initiative and strong creativity.

In 2011, he took part in our residential Creativity Summer Camp in Nairobi, and one of the paintings he created there was sold at an exhibition. With the money from the sale, he was able to pay his fees and complete his schooling. This led to Benson been sponsored to study car engineering at the Nyandarua National Polytechnic in Nuahururu. There, he quickly gained a reputation for being best at technical drawing which made him popular and gave him great confidence and self-esteem.

"MASK helped me to express my ideas,” says Benson. Today, he is employed at the Nyandarua National Polytechnic, and his employers say: “Benson is a bona fide employee who has proved to be hardworking, responsible, honest and a team player all around.”