Kenya Connect

Grace is the third born in a family of four. Her mother abandoned her with her aged father and went with her three siblings. Her father has been supporting her through doing casual jobs but his old age and ailment has made it difficult for him to provide for the family. Grace has been receiving support from her teachers who have gone the extra mile to cater for her needs and school levies. Every evening Grace has to cook for the family and do the house chores. Her only time to study was late at night. Despite all those obstacles, Grace performed exemplary. She aspires to be a journalist in future and she believes in striving to be self-reliant. Grace likes reading storybooks.

Peter is the thirdborn child in a family of four. His mother abandoned the family and Peter is currently living with his elderly grandmother who can’t work. His older siblings have never gone to high school due to lack of school fees. Peter did his primary exam in 2018 and could not join high school due to lack of school fees. He however did not give up but decided to repeat grade eight. Peter is determined against all odds to succeed in life. He believes that education is the only way to a bright future. His dream is to become a journalist in future. His role model is Citizen TV news anchor Lilian Muli.

Vincent is the third born in a family of four. His parents separated leaving the burden of supporting the family to his mother. The mother is currently unemployed and only does casual job to cater for family needs. While in Primary school, Vincent was often sent home to collect school levies and this affected his studies. He could spend almost half of the night reading to compensate the lost time. Despite the challenges, he worked tirelessly to achieve the best in his primary education. Vincent aspires to be a doctor in future. He believes that quitters never win but winners never quit. He likes watching football and reading storybooks.

Faith is the third born in a family of four. Her mother is a single parent who does casual jobs which are rare to get sometimes. They also live with their aged grandmother who is ailing hence unable to provide. Faith is a jovial and determined girl who wishes to pursue neurosurgeon in future. At home Faith lacked a reliable source of light to study. She could wake up very early in the morning to walk to school in order to utilize electricity at school. She excelled in her primary education and was the top student in her school. Faith believes that hard work never goes unrewarded and light shines after darkness. Faith loves reading novels.

Syombua is the last-born child in a family of eight. She completed her primary education in 2014 at Mavitini Primary School, performing exceptionally well in her final exams. Her good performance earned her a place in a good girls boarding secondary school. Her parents were so proud of her and they used all their savings to make sure that she was enrolled in the school, but luck was not on her side as their father, the only breadwinner was laid off from work. Syombua has two siblings already in day secondary schools and the challenge of paying school fees for the three children is now overwhelming to the father who has now turned to casual menial jobs to support the family. The future of Syombua seems bleak and she may not go back to school in the second term of the year. Though fate seems to rob her the opportunity to be in school, Syombua has always been determined to attain good education. For her, a good education is the only hope to secure a bright future.

Christine is the firstborn in a family of two. Her mother is a single parent and the sole breadwinner of the family. Christine completed her primary education in 2020 and was unable to join secondary school due to lack of school fees. She decided to repeat grade eight with great hopes of doing much better. And joining high school. Despite the challenges, she emerged the best student in her school. She aspires to be a neurosurgeon so she could save the lives of many. Christine believes that winners never quit and quitters never win. She loves reading and telling stories