Matata is a daring young boy who believes that success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable. He is the last born in a family of four. His parents are unemployed and largely depend on subsistence farming, which has been negatively affected by frequent severe droughts. Most of the rural roads in his village are very impassable and this has pushed him towards achieving his dream of becoming an engineer. Since Matata was a young boy, he has always liked playing football not only at home but also in school and he was the goalkeeper for his school team.

Enoch comes from a humble family of two and he is the first born child. His parents are unemployed and depend on casual jobs to sustain their family and thus unable to raise his secondary school fees. Despite staying home for most of the time throughout his primary education due to lack of school levies, his dream to become a mechanical engineer has kept her focused. Enoch has seen a number of people in his area struggle too much when their machines and engines break down and there is no one to help repair them. He would also like to help the needy and poor families support their children in becoming better persons in the future. His hobbies are drawing and taking photographs. He holds on to the quote that says the road to success is not straight.

Elvis is the last born in a family of two. His mother is a single mom. Elvis lives with his aunt while his mother is busy looking for casual jobs to sustain the family. Despite the challenges he faced during his primary education, he managed to score exemplary marks. His dream to become a doctor to treat the sick in his village has been his driving force. Elvis likes to play football during his free time and he believes that hard work will never go unrewarded.

Winfred is the second-born in a family of three. She lives with her grandmother and her mother. She would like to pursue a career in law when she grows up so as to make a contribution in the justice systems of the country and the world. She loves role playing and catching up with news. She believes that education is the key to success.

Davis is the second born in a family of six. He completed his primary school education and passed very well in his national examinations. His parents deserted the family and he and his siblings are currently living with their aged grandmother who is unable to work. Davis is a determined young boy who wants to be a meteorologist to fulfill his desire of understanding the earth’s atmospheric phenomena as well as uplift his family from poverty. The encouraging words from his grandmother have propelled him to pursue his dreams and he believes that there is light at the end of the tunnel. He likes playing football during his free time.

Kelvin is a young student whose father has abandoned him, his brother, and his mother. She had an obstetric fistula from giving birth that made it very difficult for her to work. Kelvin is close with his grandparents but his mother struggles to keep the family housed and there are days they only have one meal. He wants to succeed in school along with his brother.

Emmaculate is the last born in a family of three; one sister and one brother. Her parents rely on subsistence farming for livelihood, which has been greatly affected by the changing climate. While in primary school, Emmaculate spent most of the time at home while the other students were at school. This was because of lack of finances to cater for some of the requirements at school. This did not stop her but instead propelled her towards achieving her dream of becoming a cardiologist in order to save lives. Her role model is Barack Obama and she likes his phrase of ‘Yes we can’. Moreover, she likes reading story books during her free time.

Gabriel is a determined young boy who believes that success does not come on a silver platter. He is the third born with three sisters and one brother. His parents are unemployed and only depend on casual jobs to cater for the needs of their family. Regardless of him sleeping without food, he toiled so hard to pass his examinations. Gabriel believes that obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal and he is very insistent on his dream of becoming an engineer to help his community. He loves cycling as a hobby.