Benard Kibet arap Kogo graduated from Colby College in 2019 with a BS in Econ-Math and Finance. He is a two-time recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace, a $10,000 grant which he used to build a concrete classroom at his former primary school as well as a piped water system for schools and hospitals in his village. While at Colby, Benard interned at Spark MicroGrants in Kampala, Uganda and after graduation he received the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to study disability in Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and India. He currently works as Kenya Field Staff Management Specialist at One Acre Fund.
“For one to have an impact, there has to be a desire to make a change. The desire has to come from the inside. One has to deny oneself of that personal time that is used for other things. One has to believe it is something bigger : something that will have a ripple effect on other peoples’ beliefs and in their actions.
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Born in Tinet, Eldama Ravine Sub-county, Baringo County, Benard was raised both by his visually impaired single mother and by his grandparents. Growing up, resources were scarce and from an early age Bernard learned to find ways of fending for his personal needs. As early as 6th grade, Benard recognized the severity of his family’s economic struggles. He knew that his grandfather would be unable to cater for his high school tuition as well as his elder sister and cousins. For Benard, this meant that the only way to attend secondary school was to score highly on the national primary school exam (KCPE) and secure a scholarship. He worked tirelessly towards this and was awarded a full scholarship at Moi High School Kabarak, a top high school in the country. Benard graduated with an A on the KCSE, Kenya’s national secondary exam, and was admitted to the KenSAP class of 2013 where he excelled. Through KenSAP and his hard work Benard was admitted to Colby College on a full scholarship and as a Colby Mule (member of the school’s cross-country and track teams.)
“Benard graduated with an A plain on the KCSE, Kenya’s national secondary exam, and was admitted to the KenSAP class of 2013 where he excelled. Through KenSAP and his hard work Benard was admitted to Colby College on a full scholarship and as a Colby Mule. ”
As an Economics major at Colby, Benard was deeply interested in the economic development of his home village, and in development across the world. During his first two summers at Colby, he was awarded two $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grants to complete projects in his home village in Kenya. In his first summer, Benard built a concrete classroom in his previous kindergarten which was a mud floor. In his second summer, he built a piped water system which pumps water from the nearby river to tanks on the hill which then supply water to schools and hospitals in his village. These two projects were very impactful and intensified Benard’s passion in the Economic Development field. When Benard was raising money to build classrooms in his home village, the connections that he made as a member of the Colby Cross Country Team enabled him to raise nearly $21,000. Looking back, Benard recalls that the decision to become a student-athlete was one of the best choices he made while at Colby as it helped him create a network and community with his teammates and their families. In his junior year, Benard interned at Spark MicroGrants in Kampala, Uganda. Spark MicroGrants is an NGO that uses a community-driven development model where the community is given agency, playing a key role in the kind of development project they want in their community. Spark then awards the community money and facilitates implementation of the projects. Through the internship Benard learned the importance of involving the beneficiaries of any project in all stages from ideation to execution to create a buy-in thus ensuring sustainability of any project once the funding organization has left that community.
After graduation, Benard was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to go to Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and India as part of his research on the Disability Field. He visited 9 organizations that work with/for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and tried to understand how disability is defined in different communities, how that definition affects how persons with disability are treated in the society and how these organizations are empowering PWDs. “I think my big takeaway from Watson, which was not a surprise, is that PWD in different economies are still facing lots of challenges. There is a need for society and governments to think of the impact of all of the projects rolled out in the communities on PWDs. Are those projects benefiting everyone or excluding PWD? Are they becoming a barrier to progress of PWDs? This is another reason I want to get deeper into public policy because I want to see that PWDs are considered and included in every aspect of the community; jobs, schools, access to different parts of the community and not discriminate in any way.”
Currently, Benard works as Kenya Field Staff Management Specialist at One Acre Fund (OAF). OAF is an organization that works with smallholder farmers by providing farmers with quality inputs and training to get the most output. Benard supports the Field Team by equipping field staff members with the skills, tools and resources necessary to excel in their roles. As a young person in his career working with a team which has many years of work experience, Benard sometimes feels inferior but constantly encourages himself to learn from them. This feeling isn’t particularly new to him though; when Benard was applying for funding for his Projects for Peace, Watson Fellowship and running a fund-raiser for his classroom projects, he was doubtful if he was going to get what he was applying for. However, in all those situations, he was able to achieve what he once thought impossible. Benard is working to gain more experience in the development field then in a few years he plans to go back to school for a masters degree in Public Policy. He hopes to be part of the influencers of Economic Development in Kenya and in the world. Benard’s passionate desire to make a difference in his community and in the world is inspiring. Between projects, Benard enjoys running and hiking.
Documented projects here.