Even though life has been very hard, the efforts and support I got from the friends and well wishers has made me learn the disadvantages of depending on others. When i got the information about the scholarship my parents encouraged me to work hard and do my best in my studies. They helped to apply for the chance, and lucky enough I was called and got the opportunity to be one of the scholars.

Vincent is a disciplined and intelligent boy. His dream to become an electrical engineer started early in life when he learnt the skills of radio repair from a neighbor. He developed great interest in repairing radios that had been thrown away. Out of his curiosity, he repaired his first broken radio for his uncle and it worked! Later he repaired yet another broken radio for his grandfather and it worked too! Vincent's good performance in school did not come on a silver platter. He was able to sacrifice his sleep by sleeping late and waking up very early to study. He also consulted his teachers much on subjects he felt he needed help. He believes that hard work pays. Vincent is the only son to his single mother. He currently lives with his grandparents. His grandfather has suffered stroke and has not been able to help provide for Vincent.

I am thee son of a single mother who until recently was the breadwinner in our family. We own a small piece of land which we injerited from my father but it has cannot fully sustain the family's needs. I am a talented athlete and I enjoy long-distance races. i dream of being a professional athlete in future and helpo get rid of poverty.

Shadrack is the last-born child in a family of six. Most of his siblings dropped out of school. His parents are old and unable to do manual work. Shadrack was born weak and this delayed him from joining school. Though with a small body stature he is older than his peers. His dream is to become an electrical engineer to be able to help people in his village access electricity.

I am an ambitious football player with five children in our family from a God fearing and humble background. Living in Kibera has a lot of challenges like drug addiction, school drop outs, peer pressure among others. But I have tried to overcome them because I am a real change agent person, passionate to change the lives of poor people in the community and be a good role model to children of Kibera. I am committed to work hard in school in order to achieve my goal of opening an NGO that would change the life of Kibera community and I believe through God everything is possible. I am thanking Kennedy and Jessica for the opportunity to finish my secondary school education.

His mother works as a servant, surviving on barly one meal per day.

William lives in a household of seven people: his mother and father, two elder sisters, aged 21 and 16, a younger brother, aged 8, his 75-year old grandmother and William himself, who is 13. His father has a job which pays the minimum wage. His mother sometimes earns money by preparing and selling food at a local school, and the eldest sister has recently also found occasional work. William is a bright and keen student and enjoys going to school. His favorite subject is science and at the moment his ambition is to continue studying and to become a doctor. When he’s not studying, William likes to play the guitar. He attends the guitar classes that the Condor Trust runs every Saturday, thanks to a donation from the charity Keys of Change.

My name is Abdulrahman Fatuma Ali. I come from a family of three siblings and a single parent as well. Despite all the challenges, I still remained focused and worked hard in primary and managed to score a B at Stara Rescue Centre School without any hopes of joining high school. Thanks to Shining Hope for Communities for coming in and fully supporting my secondary education at Tala High School. Without forgetting where I came from, I am always focused on my education. With the support of my interest in reading to improve my academics, for I know the roots of education is bitter, but the fruit are sweet. I would like to be a teacher in the future and teach Maths & Business. I have also been touched by the work Shofco is doing with Kibera community to change the lives of people and would like to contribute to community work in future through my time and resources.

Joseph's father died in 2008 when he was only 7 years old. Joseph and his siblings went to live with their granny who, till her death in 2015, cared for them. Joseph's eldest sibling got a scholarship from Kenya Commercial bank who sponsored him in high school and are still sponsoring him at college where he is taking a diploma. His elder sister has just completed high school and was admitted to college, but there is still uncertainty whether they will be able to afford the tuition. Joseph had problems raising the fees required at the public primary school. Now that he has a scholarship to attend secondary school, he is studying comfortably and he does not need to worry about being sent home do to lack of school fees. He would like to get a good grade that will help him get a well-paying job. "Wema has helped me so much and now I am working towards my dream of becoming an engineer. I am so proud to be part of Wema." -Joseph.