Before living at school, Amina lived with her mother, who has a small farm. Amina's mother uses a hand-hoe to cultivate on her farm, which does not allow her to produce enough crops to sell. After Amina's father died in 2002, Amina's mother could not provide for her, causing Amina to live school instead of at home.

Kidawa's father died while her mother was still pregnant with her. In 1997, when Kidawa was just two years old, her mother died as well. Kidawa now lives with her grandfather and uncle. Her grandfather is poor and depends on a small digging farm to provide for Kidawa.