Joseph Munyao is a young man aged 23yrs old, he is the 2^nd born in a family of 6 children and lives Manza village about 8km from Machakos town. He completed his "O" level education in 2009 and joined ReachUp! program in December 2010 at Kenya Red Cross Machakos.

"My dream was to become an engineer but unfortunately my parents could not afford my college fees so I always took advantage of any free learning opportunities. I did not know where to go or to start until I met David Mwangi (DOT Kenya Field Officer) in a youth forum organized by the Ministry of Youth. David was talking about ReachUp! program; what it does, how to sign up, how long it would take, its benefits…I later did further enquiries on the same and I registered for the program along with 10 other youths" he recalled.

"Joseph was always focused towards his growth and making his better future," says Anne Mugatha, his facilitator (a former DOT Intern). "The Opportunity Market Place module was his favorite module during his training," she adds.

Joseph is a talented young man; he started composing songs when he was in high school where he participated in several music festivals and won several prizes. He didn't know that he had a dependable strength till he joined ReachUp! program. Currently, he is venturing in arts field as a musician and as a designer. "I was always motivated by the five factors that influence the opportunity market place, the module opened my mind and diversified my thinking pattern and instead of seeing failures I realized there are many opportunities existing around me," he says.

He is good in drawing and design and he is currently taking orders from primary schools, pre-schools, secondary schools and organizations to do logos, gate and wall drawings. Designing periodic table patterns using wooden and plastic materials for secondary school chemistry is one of his favorite. "It is after ReachUp! training that I realized I do not need much capital to start my designing and drawing business, it only needed my time and commitment" he says, "I got motivated and I gained confidence to face the reality of life."

Joseph is currently a youth team leader, doing well in his designing and music business. He will be joining college early next year by which time he will have raised enough money for fees. He intends to pursue a Diploma in arts Drawing and Design.  "Many cannot believe the strides I have made after ReachUp! training," he says, "They keep wondering how I moved from nothing to something and I am eternally grateful to the ReachUp! program for this progress."