Kathule is the lastborn child in a family of four. Her father passed on leaving the burden of upbringing their children with her mother who is unemployed. Without the bread winner, her mother resulted to selling all that was left by their father to keep the children in school. She is now left with nothing to sell and her daughter now faces the challenge of dropping out of school. Despite being sent home severally for school fees within the year, Kathule was able to perform exemplary in her end of year exams. She has a passion in medicine and would like to be a doctor in future. Kathule believes that education is the key to a prosperous future.

Joana was born in Inhambane province, where she lived with her parents. She is a very quiet girl and helpful. After fulfilling her homework and household duties, she plays with her friends. She is orphaned of parents. Her mother died in 2003 when the girl was 2 months old, due to illness, and her father died in 2013, victim of illness as well. He used to be a mechanic. After her father’s death, she moved to live with her aunt that works as a clerk at a butcher. What she earns is not enough to sustain the whole family and pay the girl’s school expenses.

Has both parents , jobless, homeless, surviving on one meal per day.

Florence’s mother is unemployed and homeless. She lives in the town’s market and is unable to provide for her daughter’s education. Florence works hard in school and wants to become a doctor someday.

Shiela’s parents are unemployed and cannot support her, her four siblings, and three grandparents who live with them. She needs help paying for her school fees and pursuing her dream of becoming a banker someday.

Zeyna is the firstborn child in a family of three. Her parents are unemployed and depend on subsistence farming, which has adversely been affected by frequent droughts. Zeyna is a brilliant young girl who is determined to achieve her goals despite the many challenges she has been going through. Her dream to become a journalist has been her driving force. She has been concerned about many cases happening in the rural areas with no one to report to the world. For her education is an eye opener.

The family lives in abject poverty. Parents have no source of income.

Father died. Mother is jobless and cannot sustain fees and basic needs for the family.

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.