When Mercy Neepe speaks of her recent graduation from flying school, she glows with pride. She has known she wanted to become a pilot from the time she was in primary school and has diligently worked toward it since then. “I didn’t know much about aviation, but I was curious. Through that curiosity, I developed a passion. I really wanted to try it. When I came to high school, though, I learned that aviation is very expensive. It’s not for everyone.” She can’t contain her smile as she shows her pilot’s license, the bars on the shoulders of her uniform, and her logbook.
The pastoral communities Grevy’s Zebra Trust works alongside in northern Kenya often face significant and pressing economic challenges, which can result in the inability to send their children to school. In our efforts to support these communities and build the capacity of the next generation, GZT has established a scholarship program to support students to finish their secondary education. One of the outstanding students we have supported is Mercy, who has just graduated with her private pilot’s license, an endeavor supported by GZT.
This young woman, only 20 years old, is the first (and currently only) female pilot from her region of the country. As a pioneer in her community and the eldest of five siblings, she feels the pressure of doing everything she can to succeed. “Everyone is looking up to me, so I don’t want to fail anyone.” Although she admits it can be challenging, she seems to take it in stride, with a quiet and joyful determination.
“People would ask me, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Since day one, I said, ‘Pilot. Pilot. Pilot.’”
Mercy wearing the perfect clothing to represent our conversation: her uniform with two stripes on the shoulders representing her private pilot’s license with a zebra-striped coat over it.
It’s surprising that Mercy knew she wanted to be a pilot from such a young age, considering flying in a plane was not accessible to her growing up. In fact, the first flight she ever took was not as a mere passenger, but during a training session at flight school. The path to becoming a pilot is incredibly rigorous, with not only practical training flights but also the academic study of meteorology, aerodynamics, navigation, and more. Although her family initially wanted her to go to university, they are now incredibly proud of her accomplishments.
Mercy is very clear that her pilot’s license is not just for her, but also for the benefit of her community and Grevy’s zebras. Her next step in the short term is to take a solo flight home to Samburu, but she needs to wait for weather conditions that allow her to complete the full flight. Next, she wants to start bush flying, saying that “I am here because of Grevy’s, so I have to take care of Grevy’s first.” Her eventual hope is to get her commercial pilot’s license, but the training poses another financial barrier. Her plan is to work as a pilot in northern Kenya in order to log further flying hours, gain more experience, support her community, and eventually have enough to pay for the training.
As a GZT team, we are so proud of the hard work that Mercy has put into her studies as well as her unwavering commitment to giving back to her community. She has faced many challenges in her life, confronting obstacles and disadvantages over and over again. We have no doubt that whatever Mercy faces next, she will continue to succeed and contribute positively. If you are interested in supporting Mercy in her next goal of obtaining a commercial pilot’s license, we would love to hear from you!
