IEFT

Active and confident, Amina is a determined young woman who is very committed to her studies. In the classroom, she is a strong listener and a thoughtful student, crafting her answers and defending her points well. Smiley and curious, she asks questions frequently and is a leader amongst her peers. Amina lives with her step-mother and her father, who is a driver for Orkeeswa school.

Eline’s family works hard on their subsistence farm to make ends meet, but often lack the additional resources to pay for school fees. Eline has two siblings: a younger brother and an older sister. While attending secondary school in Form IV, Eline’s sister became pregnant. Eline’s family supported her through the pregnancy and now, Eline’s sister is back attending secondary school. Eline and her siblings are very thankful that their family supports their education despite obstacles. Eline is very close with her family and hopes to create a new future for them through her secondary education.

My parents separated a long time ago and I have not seen either of them for two years now. I live with my grandparents and with my brother and sister. My grandfather owns one donkey and one cow, so we do not have very much money. My grandfather is also sick so my grandmother has a temporary job and this is where we get all of our money. Sometimes we have a hard time getting by on just that money. I finished primary school and I knew that I liked mathematics and history the best. I also like playing sports like netball.

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

Among the youngest in her class, Elizabeth is a motivated, confident young woman. The first in her family to attend secondary school, Elizabeth is already bringing her education to her family, as she regularly tutors her younger sister at home, in addition to helping with her regular daily chores. Curious and witty, Elizabeth loves participating in hands-on science projects and performing in the school’s choir, dance and drama groups. Elizabeth’s parents are young and very supportive of Elizabeth’s education, but lack the means to support her with school fees and other basic expenses.

Padre excelled in primary school and was ranked number four in his class. However, with six children to take care of, his family struggles to make ends meet. There are very few resources at home and they often do not have enough food to feed their children. Since none of Padre’s older siblings had the opportunity to go to secondary school, he hopes to be the first in his family to graduate so that he can give back to his family and his community.