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.

Lily's family does not have much money but she is determined to finish her education. When she finished school, she wants to design clothes, shoes, and jewelry. She hopes that her career will someday allow her to travel the world. Her hobbies include drama and football. Lily also wants to give back to the community. "I want to make sure that my people will not suffer as much as I have suffered."

Mathendu is the first born child in a family of two children. His parents are peasant farmers and are unable to raise his fees for secondary school. Mathendu did his primary exam - KCPE in 2015 and was the top student at Kyaani Primary school with 365 marks. Mathendu is a very brilliant and focused boy who loves education. With beaming confidence he says "I wish to be an electrical engineer after completing school" Mathendu has an great a determination to join secondary school and study hard to make a career in electrical engineering.

"I was born into a family of six, whereby I am the fourth child. I have been staying with my uncle to get help in my schooling. In my family, only one brother managed to finish Form 4 because of the school fees. I want to achieve good results in Form 4 and then proceed to university and graduate as an engineer. I want to work in order to help needy children get educated and achieve their dreams and together we will help our society. I would like to be a role model to the young generation of my time and be the one to help others in situations just like mine. I would also like to preach to younger generations to work hard in school and be a dream maker in the society. "

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 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.

Alexander is the second born child in a family of five. His mother is ailing from a kidney disease that has taken a toll on their meager resources. His father decorates woodcarvings and earns less than a dollar per day. While in primary school, Alex had to maintain a balance between doing family chores like cooking, collecting firewood and fetching water while devoting some time for studies. He was constantly sent home from school because he had not paid the fees and often lacked many essential books. Despite these challenges, Alex was able to score very well in his primary level exam. He is a disciplined and determined boy who hopes to succeed and help the less privileged in the society.

I am Mary Mochache of Olympic Primary School in Kibera in Nairobi. I am yet to sit for my K.C.P.E examination this year 2016. I am seeking this scholarship due to financial constraints in my family. My parents are both jobless and mere peasants who can't affords secondary school fees. When accorded this assistance I hope to be the best in academics. Therefore, I seek to be considered in such rare opportunities. In this time it is rare for girls to have such good opportunities to be recognized people in the society.

Lloyds father died recently serving as a police officer. His family was very supportive of Wema’s efforts until the passing of his father. His mother is now unable to provide support for the school fees for his brothers and him. Lloyds needs help in pursuing his dream of becoming a lawyer.

Shy but energetic, Naleku is determined to continue her studies. As a child, she rolled into a fire while napping and suffered from burns on her face. But, despite this incident, Naleku radiates positive energy and interacts confidently with her peers, both in the classroom and on the sports fields. Before passing away several years ago, Naleku’s father had six wives and many children. Naleku will be the first of her mother’s children to attend secondary school as her mother was unable to afford school fees for Naleku’s older brothers

"Since we are a family of six children, it has been too difficult for my father to pay my school fees and buy uniforms. I have been getting assistance from church members up to this point. I thank almighty God that the school could provide me books, which allowed me to continue and to finish class 8. I have been brought up in a very humble background and it has been very difficult for my parents to bring daily bread into the house. My aspirations and plans is that I would like to finish high school with high marks. I would then like to join the university of my choice and pursue a degree in mass communication and be a news anchor/ presenter. Since education has no end, I would like to combine my masters and Ph.D. respectively and be a great professor in Kenya."

"My aunt has been helping by buying my books since my mother died...In the future I would like to be a doctor so that I can help my family out of this poverty and also help our community against all the crimes. I want to help us to have good health services. Through becoming successful in education I will be able to help my society and support them. In the years to come I am hoping to be working as a doctor. I will be saving lives and use it to help my family and community at large."

Sheila is an orphan girl who strongly believes that hard work pays. She has never wanted any student to beat her in school and so she worked hard to be the best student in class. Despite the many challenges she faced in her primary education like going to school with taking a meal, she did her KCPE exam in 2017 and was the top girl at her school. Her ailing grandparents could not afford to pay for her school fees to join secondary school. However Sheila remains quite determined to continue secondary school and achieve her dream to be a doctor. She beliefs that eduaction is the key to successful life.

After finishing school I would like to be in a better place than where I am now. I would like to have a better job so that I can even move my parents from the slums to an estate. I would like to build my parents a permanent house which will have everything they need. In the next 10 years, I am hoping that I will have my own family and will be living happily with them. I will teach my children to have good morals. If I succeed in my education, I will try my best to help people who are living in the slums and give scholarships to children who do their best on exams.