I was born in a village called Loruko. I am the last born in a family of nine. Five brothers and four sisters. My father is old, but my mum has some strength. They brought me up by facing some difficulties. Although they were not rich, they tried their best to bring me up. Both my brothers and sisters have not joined high school because of lack of money. My two brothers have only reached primary and have come back to stay at home. They are older than me and they have wife and children. But they don’t have good jobs because in order to get good jobs you have to be educated.
I was unable to join school because my family’s earnings were only enough for daily meals. But when I was six years old I joined Ol-Girgiri Primary School because the education was free. My life went on as my parents struggled to provide me with food and clothes. Sometimes I went to school without uniform, books, and pens. The teachers sent me back home, I found no one, I went back to school, and they sent me back again and at the end of it all they understood and managed to buy some books and pens for me.
Sometimes at home we didn’t have anything to eat and so that made me be absent in school. But besides lacking breakfast, food, or clothes, my life was still going on. Walking half kilometer to school was my normal routine. Because I used to walk half a kilometer to school, sometimes I was late. My teachers sent me back home to call my parents and whenever my mum came to school she told them my problem and my teachers became more understanding.
My teachers advised me on how to cope with life. That’s when I started working hard in my education. I struggled to compete with boys and girls. I had the words in my mind “God help those who help themselves and others” and “in order to succeed you have to struggle”. I started attaining good grades in school and my parents were as happy as a sandy boy as he bathed in the chilly water.
Whenever I see my parents working I would cry to my Lord to help me because I know with my education I could help my parents from being poor. I was then having a verse in the bible which says, “Nitainua macho yangu juu miimani, msada wangu watoka wapo, msaada wangu watoka kwa bwana” This verse helped me very much to cope with life.
By eighth grade, I was still doing well in my education. My mum tried her best to take me for tuition (a tutoring program) in other schools. I was also participating in sports and athletics, which made me famous in school. I started joining the school teams and I went up to the district level in working race and netball. That made my teachers and schoolmates love me. I finished my eighth grade year in 2009.
Life out of school was not as good as life in school. Sometimes I was bored sitting at home alone doing nothing because all my best friends were out visiting their relatives. Yet, I tried to keep myself busy by reading the Bible. Soon, our grade was announced. I was anxious waiting for my grade.
I found out that I was the top girl in the school and top three in the district.
I felt as happy as a king and my parents were very happy and excited.
I learned that Daraja was helping the poor, I then wrote my application and sent it to Daraja Academy. After two weeks I was called for an interview. I found a loving Dad and Mum: Mr. D and Miss Jenny. They showed me a lot of love and they told me that I was amongst the twenty-six girls. Truly I was very happy. I was not even able to express my feelings.
I then joined Daraja Academy of Kenya, which means bridge and we are Daraja. I found a loving, wonderful family, which cares for people.
For now my mum is still at home with no work to do and also my father is too old to work. My mum is the one to look for food and she struggles every day to get something to eat. She goes to the shambas (farms) to look for a job and if the works is not available she just stays at home. I always have pity for my family. Sometimes it makes it hard to concentrate in class whenever I remember them. I cry and tears of pain come out of my eyes. But with God anything is possible. Daraja makes me so happy so that all the thoughts about my family’s hardships are gone.
