SHOFCO

Brigance is the second born in his family. His father works as a security guard and is the primary breadwinner. When he was two years old, Brigance lost eyesight in his left eye after an injury. As a result, he is passionate about assisting disabled individuals for the betterment of society. In the future, he aspires to become an environmentalist. He cares deeply about protecting the environment and aims to do so through clean-up projects, waste management initiatives, and tree planting campaigns -- all in an effort to "help Kenya achieve 10% vegetation by 2030."

Florence was raised by her mother and grandmother. She enjoys playing football and netball. Although she works hard, her mother struggled to pay school fees for her and her brother. She dreams of being a community health work and building solid relationships with her teachers in secondary school. She wants to give back to her community and to help children and widows.

"In previous years my parents managed to borrow some books for me, like text books. Uniforms and fees were problems. Sometimes the teachers had to send me home until I could get the school fees from my parents. In my family we are 5 children, 1 boy and 4 girls. I live with both of my parents, and we are not well off. But they struggle in other ways to get educated. My plan in academics is to always achieve above a B. And even after school I want to be a doctor, because that is what I dream of for my career. My imagination in 10 years is that I want to be a good and successful person so that I can help others."

My name is Jospeh Odhiambo Otieno. I did my primary school exams at Bar Olengo and scored 394 marks on the KCPE. I joined Tala High School which is located in Machakos county, Kenya. Tala is a good school with more than 20 teachers. The school is well organized and the teachers are friendly and teach well. I did a full test while in school and scored a B, with challenges in Physics and business studies. The scholarship program allowed me to be in school, as my parents are jobless and cannot pay school fees. For now I am at home due to the corona virus and studying here is really hard. I have a sister and we study together, but at times loud music from the neighbouring houses cannot allow one to study. I really thank God for the support and I promise to work hard to attain the best grades.

Clinton’s mother works as a casual laborer, and she has struggled to pay all the family’s expenses. He was sometimes sent home for lack of school fees. Clinton dreams of having a better future, and believes he can achieve this dream through becoming a pilot. He not only wishes to see different parts of the world, but he also hopes that by securing a decent living, he can support his siblings and his mother.

"Since 2001, when I lost my mother, and 2004, when I lost my father, I have been staying with my Grandparents. Even after finishing standard 8 I have been staying with my grandparents. I hope through your support to be able to finish school and to work hard and become a successful person in the future. In the future, I would like to be a nurse, a teacher, or an engineer. In fact, in the future after my successes in 10 years to come, I would like to support orphans. I understand what it is like to be an orphan. Through my difficulties that have been undergoing I am hopeful that I will succeed."