Julius is the last-born child in a family of seven. He completed his primary level education in 2017 and could not proceed to secondary school since his parents could not afford school fees. ÊHis parents are casual laborers and due to their old age, the burden of taking care of the large family has overwhelmed them. Julius is determined to achieve his dreams. He loves math and is looking forward to be an accountant in the future. He believes that education is the only key for a prosperous future.

Mohamoud is a grade 9 student in the 2016 school year. He has five sisters and three brothers. What he enjoys most about his school is that everyone respects each other. Mohamoud values respect and is glad that he is at a school where respect is an important part of the community. Learning to speak English has been Mohamoud’s proudest accomplishment so far. In the future, Mohamoud hopes to be a chemist and to be able to help develop his country.

Bushra is from Burao, the second-largest city in Somaliland, located in the Eastern region of the country, where she lives with her father and siblings. She had to leave school in 2014 because her family was unable to pay the tuition, but was given a scholarship and returned in 2015. Despite this gap, Bushra has excelled in English, and writes and speaks at a nearly native level, despite only a few years of instruction in English.

Najma lives with her three sisters, five brothers, grandmother, grandfather, and mother. Her favorite subject in school is English. Najma enjoys learning new things and is glad to be learning English at school. To continue learning new things, Najma enjoys reading books about science in her free time. Other than reading, Najma also enjoys going over her class notes with her peers and helping each other to understand their class material. With Najma’s passion for learning and education, she hopes to be a teacher in the future.

Nthenya is the firstborn child in a family of four. Her parents rely on odd jobs to cater for the family needs. ÊDespite many challenges, Nthenya emerged victorious in her exams. She aspires to be a doctor in future to treat the less privileged in the society especially children. She believes that one rises by uplifting others.

Mueni is an outgoing girl who completed her primary education in 2017 and since her parents were unable to pay for her school fees she decided to repeat grade eight. Despite staying home for most of the time in the year due to small school levies, her dream to become a surgeon has kept her focused. Her parents are poor and only do casual jobs to cater for the family basic needs. Their house collapsed last year due to rains and they are now living in a makeshift house. ÊMueni believes that hard work never goes unrewarded.

Edna is second born child in a family of three. She stays with her grandmother who has taken up the responsibility of caring for her. Her mother is single and jobless. Edna’s elder sister dropped out of school in form two due to lack of school fees. Edna’s journey to success in primary school was not without challenges. She woke up at the crack of dawn each morning and walked about 2 kilometers to school. Sometimes she went to school without any breakfast. Other times she arrived to school late and had to take a punishment but that did not make her to give up. She remained determined and worked hard to attain good grades. Edna emerged the best student by scoring 396 marks out of 500 at her school. She believes that determination knows no barrier.

Ibtisam's siblings include six sisters and three brothers. Ibtisam is most proud of her family and hopes to make them happy by doing well in school. She feels most accomplished about being in school. Her favorite class is Geometry. In her free time, Ibtisam enjoys drawing and hiking. With her interest in drawing, Ibtisam hopes to be a fashion designer in the future.