Discover how Hillary Ngaine’s journey from Kenya to Italy inspired AFRISMO and its mission to help Kenyan students study in Italy and access global opportunities.
I was born and brought up in Meru. In 1991, I sat for my KCPE examinations and went on to join Nairobi School in 1992. At the time, my KCPE results had suggested that I had the potential to do very well academically. But my KCSE results in 1995 told a very different story. I scored a C.
For me, this meant more than a disappointing examination result. It felt like the end of my journey into higher education. I had to confront the disappointment of my parents and, more importantly, the realization that I needed to change direction. Rather than give up, I went to my parents and asked for a second chance. I was willing to start again from Form Three.
Then, unexpectedly, another opportunity presented itself.
My elder brother was living in Italy. He had moved there in 1994 on a scholarship to attend a vocational secondary school specializing in dairy production. During a visit to Kenya, he and an Italian teacher discussed my future and proposed an opportunity that would change the course of my life. They wanted to help me study in Italy on a scholarship.
My father had serious reservations. Having himself studied psychology in Rome between 1988 and 1991, he understood the challenges of sending a young person abroad. Eventually, however, my brother and his friend persuaded him. And in October 1996, I found myself on a plane from Nairobi to Italy.
Arriving in Italy Was Nothing Like I Expected!
I landed at Milan Linate Airport on a cold Sunday morning. There was one problem. Nobody was there to pick me up. My brother did not know I was arriving that day, and I had only sixty dollars in my pocket. I could not speak Italian, and when I tried to buy a Coca-Cola, I was quoted 1,500 lire—the currency used in Italy before the euro.
I spent the next 24 hours at the airport until I could finally reach my school.
There was another surprise waiting for me.
Nobody at the school spoke English. I had to wait until the English teacher arrived before I could communicate what had happened. That experience taught me one of the most important lessons of my life: studying abroad is about much more than getting into a university. You have to learn how to live in a new country.
Learning Italian Became Part of My Journey. When I first arrived in Italy, learning Italian was one of my biggest challenges. Imagine being surrounded by people talking, laughing and interacting, while understanding absolutely nothing they are saying. It was uncomfortable and, at times, isolating.
But gradually, things changed.
I learned the language. I made friends. I became part of the community and began to understand the culture around me.
What initially felt like a barrier eventually became one of the greatest advantages of my experience in Italy.
It is one of the reasons I believe Kenyan students planning to study in Italy should consider learning basic Italian before they travel. An English-taught university programme may make your education accessible, but Italian helps you navigate everyday life, build relationships and integrate into the community.
Italy Gave Me More Than an Education
My years in Italy were not without challenges. In 2000, while working on a pig farm during the summer to earn money for my upkeep, I suffered a serious accident. A heavy gate fell on me, crushing my waist and breaking my spinal cord. After neurosurgery, nine months in bed and two months of rehabilitation, I was eventually able to return to school.
The accident changed my perspective on my future. I realized that I could no longer depend on physically demanding work and needed to focus on building a professional career through education. In 2001, I sat for my national examinations and scored 100/100 cum laude.
But there was another challenge. I did not have the money required to enroll at university.
The Scholarship That Changed My Future
I approached a local priest, Don Vincenzo, and asked him to lend me the money I needed to enroll at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Brescia, where I wanted to study Foreign Languages and literature.
He trusted me.
He gave me the money without asking me to sign any document, telling me that he hoped that one day I would be in a position to extend the same helping hand to someone else. I enrolled.
I was subsequently awarded a full scholarship, which I maintained throughout both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. That scholarship changed my life. It also planted a seed that would remain with me for many years.
Education can change an individual’s life—but the opportunity to access education can change an entire family.
From Student to Entrepreneur
My original dream was to become a sports journalist. For several years, I worked as a sports reporter for a local newspaper while studying. After graduating, however, I realized that journalism would be difficult to pursue as a long-term career.
I moved into the language services industry, working as a translator, interpreter and English teacher. I later worked for a Milan-based company specializing in intellectual property translation.
In 2007, I left employment and started my own company, Neno Language Services.What began with a handful of clients gradually grew into a business.But throughout my professional journey in Italy, another idea remained at the back of my mind.
How could I use my experience in Italy to create opportunities for young people in Kenya?
Building a Bridge Between Kenya and Italy
I had always wanted to create stronger links between my home country, Kenya, and Italy—the country that had given me a second chance. Over the years, I became involved in initiatives supporting young people in Kenya.
In 2013, I developed an exchange programme bringing Italian high school students to Kenya for cultural and language experiences. Although the programme was interrupted following the Westgate terrorist attack, we eventually resumed volunteering and exchange activities in 2017.
Through these initiatives, Italian students have visited Kenya, scholarships have been provided to needy secondary school students, orphanages have received assistance and community projects—including boreholes around Archers Post—have been supported.
These experiences reinforced my belief that student mobility can create relationships that extend far beyond the classroom.
Why I Founded AFRISMO
In 2025, I decided it was time to revive my student mobility vision—but this time with opportunities going both ways. That is how AFRISMO (African Student Mobility) was born, with operational arms in Kenya and Italy.
My vision was simple: to use the knowledge I had gained from living, studying and working in Italy for nearly three decades to create meaningful opportunities for young Kenyans.
I know what it means to arrive in Italy as a young Kenyan student. I know the challenges of learning Italian. I know what it means to navigate the Italian education system. I know what it means to depend on a scholarship. And I know the difference that having someone to guide you can make. AFRISMO was created to make that journey easier for the next generation.
Why Study in Italy?
My own experience is the foundation of my belief in the Italian education system.
Italy gave me access to education when I needed a second chance. It gave me professional opportunities, friendships, language skills and an entirely different perspective on the world.
Today, Kenyan students have even more opportunities to study in Italy, including access to internationally recognized universities, English-taught programmes and various scholarship opportunities.
But I believe the greatest value lies beyond the qualification itself.
Studying in Italy gives young people an opportunity to develop the skills, independence and international exposure that can shape their careers for decades to come.
My Family Is Also a Testament to the Opportunity
My belief in the possibilities offered by studying in Italy is not theoretical.
It is personal.
My brother completed a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Pavia before pursuing a PhD in Molecular Oncology in Milan. He is now a cancer researcher in Kenya.
In 2006, I also enrolled my sister for a nursing course. After graduating and working in Italy, she later moved to Dublin, Ireland, where she works as a Clinical Nurse Manager at Beaumont Hospital.
These journeys demonstrate something important: An international education can create opportunities that extend far beyond the country where you study.
AFRISMO Is My Way of Giving Back
I have now lived in Italy for more than 30 years.
When I look back, I recognize how many people helped me along the way—my brother, his Italian friend, my teachers, my friends and Don Vincenzo, who gave me the financial helping hand that allowed me to begin university.
I have never forgotten his words. He told me that someone had been kind enough to stretch out a helping hand to me, and that I should do the same one day. That promise has stayed with me and AFRISMO is my way of keeping it.
Our team in Kenya is now helping young men and women explore opportunities to study in Italy, while our team in Italy helps students navigate their new environment. We want to help students find the right academic pathways, understand scholarship opportunities and prepare for life in Italy. My ambition is to see many more Kenyan doctors, engineers, researchers, technicians, entrepreneurs and business leaders benefit from international education.
A Second Chance for Someone Else
My journey to Italy began after an academic disappointment. What I thought was a setback became the beginning of a completely different life. Today, I want AFRISMO to help other young people discover opportunities that they may not have known existed.
I want a student in Kenya to be able to look beyond the traditional destinations and discover that Italy can offer an affordable, internationally recognized and professionally rewarding education.
I want parents to have access to the information they need to make informed decisions. And most importantly, I want students to know that their current circumstances do not necessarily determine their future. Sometimes, all someone needs is an opportunity—and someone willing to help them take it.
That is what AFRISMO represents to me.
- A bridge between Kenya and Italy.
- A bridge between education and opportunity.
- And, ultimately, a helping hand for the next generation.
About AFRISMO
AFRISMO (African Student Mobility) helps Kenyan students explore opportunities to study in Italy, from university selection and applications to scholarship guidance, visa support, Italian language preparation, accommodation and settling into life in Italy.
With teams in Kenya and Italy, AFRISMO combines local support with first-hand knowledge of the Italian education and living environment.
Ready to explore your opportunity to study in Italy?
Contact AFRISMO and take the first step towards your Italian education journey.
