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.

Nelma has a very large family who stay with different family members. Her mother is the primary breadwinner despite suffering from some form of untreated mental heath challange. Nelma is happy with the company she has at Wema but sometimes is sad thinking about the challanges her family faces. She wishes to study law. When she becomes a lawyer she hopes to relieve her mother of the burden she undergoes holding her family together and perhaps take her to the hospital. "I thank Wema for giving me the chance to study hard and help my family out of the financial problems we experience." -Sarah Nelima.

I lost both parents. My mother died when I was young and my dad died later and I didn't get a chance to know him. I therfore live with my uncle who has other children to take care of and has made him it difficult for him to cater for our. I hope to be an accountant some day and this requires me to attain the highest level of best quality education.

In the year 2012, Brigid's family was attacked by robbers who beat her dad to death as he tried to protect them. Her dad died when she was 10 years old leaving her mother to take care of the family. Her mother is a small scale cash crop farmer and also grows some food crops for the family to eat all in her 2 acre farm. Brigid has 3 brothers, all younger and 5 sisters, 3 older and the rest younger. In primary school, Bridig was regularly sent home for the small fees that her mum could not get in time. She is really glad that she no longer has to go home for lack of school fees and is always in class learning with the rest of the students. " I highly appreciate Wema's role in my life. God bless you abundantly."

Pauline Moraa Pauline is a shy, bright, seven-year-old who is currently doing well in school after recovering from an unsafe family situation. Her loving grandparents sent her to Beyond Fistula due to concerns for her safety, and she has now happily adjusted to life here. The older women at Beyond Fistula are like her big sisters, and she loves her new 'family', as well as the opportunity to pursue her education.

Anghelo has a lot of determination to succeed at whatever he does. He has begun to play the guitar, and practices for two hours every day. He also sings in the school choir. Apart from music, he is keen on mathematics and would one day like to become an accountant. He is close to his immediate family and likes to spend the weekend playing with his cousin.

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

Lesly lives with her mother, who has no regular work. She has two younger sisters. In her free time, Lesly likes reading and listening to music. Her ambition is to become a cardiologist.

Leornad's father passed away and he does not know where his mother is. He stays with his unemployed grandmother. He does not have a grandfather. He has one brother and one sister.

Ivonne lives alone with her grandmother, who is very poor. They do not know what happened to her mother. Ivonne loves social and religious studies and hopes to become a judge someday.

Family struggles with poverty, they are jobless, cannot afford any fees for the children

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.

Jedidah’s father passed away and now she and her 7 siblings live with their unemployed mother. She is very interested in science and English and hopes to become a teacher someday.

Nthenya is the firstborn child in a family of four. Her parents rely on odd jobs to cater for the family needs. ÊDespite many challenges, Nthenya emerged victorious in her exams. She aspires to be a doctor in future to treat the less privileged in the society especially children. She believes that one rises by uplifting others.