Cynthia lives with her parents and three younger brothers, aged nine, five and two, in a small rented house in a village in the mountains. Her father works on the land. His income is erratic: at times he cannot find work and at other times the severe mountain weather prevents him from working. Cynthia goes to the local school, although she will have to change schools at the end of the next academic year as her present school does not cater for the last three years of secondary education. This will mean a fairly long daily journey for Cynthia, as the nearest suitable school is several miles away. At the moment, she is happy with her friends in the local school. She particularly enjoys maths and eventually hopes to be able to find a job working with computers.

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.

I went through primary education at Olympic Primary School where I got 335 marks. In our family we are six people; Mother, three brothers, one sister and me. My mother separated with my father when I was a young girl. Life has been so hard for the family, more so to my mother who is operating a small tailoring kiosk for our daily bread. Sometimes it forces my mother to get support from chamas (women groups, that practice savings and loaning). Due to this, I have been working so hard on my academics at Bishop Okoth Mbaga Girls School and in drama club, which I am sure will one day turn my dreams of becoming a doctor true. I therefore believe that my long life goal will be achieved. My aspiration of being a doctor motivates me to work hard and I also get motivation from my mother who struggles to make ends meet for our family. I will forever remain grateful to Shofco and donors for the scholarship opportunity. This is going to change not only my life, but also my family as a whole.

Jennifer is a lovely girl, and very mature for her age. This is probably because she has to take charge of all the household chores. Her mother abandoned the family, leaving Jennifer with her father, an ill man, and a younger sister to look after. She has a strong character and a great will to overcome her difficulties and realize her dreams.

Family is very poor, lives on one meal per day. They need help.

Faith’s parents are unemployed and cannot support her. Therefore, she lives with her grandmother. She loves to read in her spare time and is one of few women who wants to join the police force. She has three brothers.

Evet does not know her father,she stays with ailing great grandmother

Anita has so far had a very difficult life. She is an only child, although this wasn't always the case. A younger brother died of cancer four years ago and her father also died a few years previously. At the moment Anita lives with her mother. She is very dedicated to her studies. When she first came to the Condor Trust two years ago, she was very sad and shy, but this is changing little by little. Now she is beginning to dream about the future and what she might be able to do.

Nancy is a 16 year old girl who hopes to become a doctor. She got a fistula very young and has had several surgeries over the years. The fistula and her family’s poverty have made it difficult for her to be in school continuously, but despite this Nancy performed very well on her year end exam after form 1 last year. She will be entering form 2 but her family does not have the money to pay her fees - Nancy admits that paying for school is so difficult she has considered suicide in the past. She is one of six siblings and lives with her parents, who do not have a source of income.