Phanie's father died when she was ten years old due to brain cancer. Her mum runs a thrift shop where she sells second hand clothes. Her sisters works as a waiter in a hotel and uses whatever she earns to pay her own fees at the college where she is taking a degree in education. Her younger brother is in primary school. When Phanice was in primary school, she spent a lot of time out of school waiting for her parents to find some money to pay for her exam fees. Her life has changed now that she has been provided with enough books to read and also no longer misses class. "I thank Wema very much for the great impact they have had on my life and also the great teachers at this place and I am confident i will achieve an A after my four years here." -Phanice.

Suhaib lives with his mother and four brothers. Suhaib is proud to be a member of our school community and learning new things he would not have learned elsewhere. His favorite classes are Algebra and Chemistry. With his interest in math and chemistry, Suhaib hopes to be a chemical engineer in the future. Outside of class, Suhaib enjoys reading non-fiction books, especially about history, and playing soccer. Suhaib feels it is important to be there for his family and to make them proud.

Alexander is the lastborn child in a family of four. All his elder siblings have all dropped out of school in primary level due to lack of school fees. His mother is single and unemployed. She has been ailing and can rarely manage to do manual work to cater for her children. Despite all odds alexander managed to perform very well in his primary level education. He is determined to achieve his goal of becoming a doctor in future. As a doctor, he believes that he will help the poor in the society access medical services. Alexander believes that education is the key to success.

Davis lives with his 8 siblings and unemployed parents. He enjoys math and science and wants to become doctor someday.

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.

Bashir Hassan Aden is a 15 year old from Abaarso, a small village located in Somaliland. This year, he’s entering the eighth grade at Abaarso School of Science and Technology. Bashir has four brothers and a sister. His mother works as a cleaner, and his father sells food. In his free time, he enjoys playing football. Although he did not speak much English when he arrived at the school, he did not feel overwhelmed. Instead, he was determined to become a better student. His favorite subject is science, and in the future, he wants to be a scientist. He hopes to continue his education, and to eventually help his family better their livelihood.

Elton was born in Sofala province. He is a nice and intelligent child, and likes to play marbles with friends of his age. Elton’s father died in 2005. He used to be a guard. After his father's death, his mother remarried. Her husband would like to help but the business of selling second hand clothes is not of great sustainability, and the income is just enough to pay the rent and a minimum for the family to survive. Without help, his dream to follow up his studies may fall apart.

Sheila’s mother passed away when she was two years old so she stays with her unemployed father. She loves playing volleyball and wants to be a college professor someday.