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.

Virginia is the first-born child in a family of four. Her father is a casual laborer while her mother is a housewife. After doing her final exam in 2015 and scoring well, Virginia could not join secondary school since her parents could not afford the fees. Her parents wanted her to get employed as house help. Her hopes of becoming a doctor and help people in need was diminishing. She decided to repeat grade eight and she emerged the best in her school. Her success was not without challenges. She lacked kerosene to study at night and could only use her daytime to study. Most of the time she was sent home due to lack of payment for school levies. Virginia is outgoing and determined to go against all odds to achieve her dreams.

Agnes is the last born child in a family of five children. Her mother is divorced and depends on casual labor to earn a living and support the big family. Agnes is a smart and hard working student who completed her primary education in 2015 and ranked top in her school after scoring 363 marks in her KCPE exam. She believes that education is the key to a successful life and has great determination and passion to excel in her studies to become a medical doctor in the future.

Abigael Mwelu is the second born child in a family of seven children. Her father deserted the family and went to live in Mombasa leaving the burden of caring and educating the children to their mother who does casual jobs like washing people clothes and digging to fend for the family. Her elder sister managed to complete high school through the support of well-wishers but she could not proceed to college and got married. Abigael has had to repeat several classes due to lack of payment for school dues but all along she has been among the top performing students. Despite her humble background Abigael is hardworking and has never given up in all these circumstances. She did her primary education examination at Sofia Primary School and managed to score 331 marks. She has been admitted to join form one at Kilembwa secondary school. Abigael believes that education is the only way to get out of the poverty cycle. She is determined to have a successful life in future that will allow her to help her family and also other needy children to achieve their goals.

Lucia is the second born child in a family of four. She did her certificate of primary education in 2014 and was admitted to secondary school in 2015. For the greater part of 2016, Lucia has been out of school due to lack of school fees. For the second term, Lucia was completely out of school. Her father has deserted the family leaving the burden of children support to their ailing mother who does casual jobs to cater for the family’s basic needs. The failing health of Lucia’s mother has rendered her unable to work hard as before. The burden of providing the basic necessities for the family has taken a toll on Lucia’s mothers’ meager resources making it hard to pay for her daughter’s school fees. Lucia’s dream for a good education risks being cut short due to lack of school fees. Despite the olds, Lucia is a self-disciplined and determined student who is optimistic to study and achieve her dream to become a lawyer and help educate her young siblings as well as other children in need.

Bercia lives with her mother. As a little child, she liked to play with the ball and different local games together with her cousins. She loved to listen to the stories her parents told her, especially the one about her grandparents, the life they lived and how Grandpa lost his life in war. Recently her grandmother passed away. She was her best friend and she misses her a lot. Bercia is an intelligent girl and would like to be deputy at the parliament to defend the children of her country. She is asthmatic since she was a little girl. Her father is living in Maputo, the capital, to get treatments, as he has severe tuberculosis. Life is ruff, and the family struggles to get regular meals. She misses him and her siblings, as they are living in different families due poverty they are living in.

Carolyne is the third born child in a family of six. Two of her sisters have been sick since childhood they have never been enrolled in school due to their health conditions. Carolyne's father is a casual laborer while the mother stays at home to take care of the sick children. The medical treatment of the children has depleted all the family resources and they have to depend on the mercy of well-wishers. Carolyne has faced many challenges. Many times she slept hungry without food but was always looking forward to being in school as there was a free lunch served (thanks to the school feeding program supported by a charity organization). Carolyne was determined and worked hard and excelled. Carolyne wants to be a doctor in future to treat people whom suffering (just like her two sisters) and improve the health of the people in Kenya.

Monicah is the fourth born child in a family of seven children. Her mother is divorced and and the sole bread winner of the family. She earns a living doing casual labor painting and sanding wood carvings to support the large family. However, recently she has been ailing and unable to work thus making it difficult for Monicah to continue with her education. Monicah has so far gone through many struggles like being sent home regularly due to unpaid school levies and wearing old school uniforms. Despite theses odds, she worked hard in her studies and scored 349 marks in her KCPE exam in 2015. She was among the top students at her primary school. Monicah is very optimistic about life. According to her, poverty is not going to deter her determination to join secondary school and study hard to be a medical doctor. Her role model is pope Francis and she dreams of becoming a doctor and building health centers to save the lives of mothers and children in her village.