SHOFCO

My mother died when I was still young. We were left with my father, who later married a second wife and decided not to provide for us proper education and food. My late mother's sister took care of my siblings and me. She was just a job hustler and nevertheless she agreed to move on with us. She took me to a primary school and I was able to score good marks to progress to a national high school. When my aunt heard about the scholarship from her group members, she encouraged me to apply for the chance, after which i was successful as one of the scholars of the SHOFCO program. Both my aunt and I are so grateful to the SHOFCO families and wish them long life.

"In the future when I finish school, I would like to help orphans and needy children of Kibera and Kenya at large. I wouldn't like in the coming years to see children of Kibera suffering and not going to school. My goal is to change the slums and upgrade it to make it a better place for children and the people of Kibera. I also admire England very much and when I finish school, I imagine myself going to university in England to become a journalist. I promised myself to work hard in my studies so that I can be a journalist. Journalism is my dream and I believe that when I work hard I can make it. "

We are seven in my family with my parents and my four siblings. I still love my family despite all the challenges we are facing and have hope that it is only a matter of time before we live a better life again. I had even lost hope of becoming an architect since there was no one to pay for my secondary education after I had scored 392/500 mark at Spurgeons Primary School. With my strong hopes and faith knowing that my God is always above everything, I am grateful for the scholarship which is a great gift offered to my family and the helpless children in the slums. I am pursuing my secondary school education at Mbita High School and I believe that this will enable me to realize my dreams. Lastly I have remained focused on my academics, never to disappoint my family and mostly Shining Hope for Communities for I know education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.

"Despite the fact that I have completed primary school, my aunt has struggled to pay for my school fees. She knows that education is the key to success and I have respected her throughout my life. She found a good boarding school and I started there in Class 2. She manages to cater for my needs. My former school managed to also paid for my school fees since Class 2 and may God bless both of their kindness. I wish to become a chemical engineer and a prominent farmer. I wish to adhere to my dream and be prosperous in my talent in football and basketball. "

"I am in a family of five and I am the fourth born. It has even become a problem for my mum to feed us all. I would like to prosper in my academics in order to help to lift my family out of poverty. My plan is to make sure that I will go to university, where I will pursue my academics and become one of the best engineers in the country. Engineers have always inspired me. I see myself giving back to the community and helping to lift other people's lives out of poverty."

Joanrose dreams of studying medicine in order to help people suffering from deadly diseases. She would also like to fight against drug abuses and prostitution in her neighborhood. She is worried about the influence of drugs on young people in her neighborhood and she wants to combat drug use in order to make her community stronger. Her parents are very sick and this makes it difficult for them to pay her school fees. It is also difficult on her psychologically. She feels that if she gets an education she will be better able to take care of her parents and improve her own future.