n the middle of February, our Kenya team made the annual trip to Pokot to visit Alale Secondary School and St. Anne’s Chelopoy. As usual, the time spent in Pokot is an encouragement to both the students and teachers as girls’ education is not popular within the area.
On this visit, there was an encounter that reminded us of why we do what we do. Within Alale Secondary School, Madam Rebecca, the high school’s principal, shared with us of two sisters she had admitted at the beginning of the school year who were living in extreme poverty. The sisters lost their father in 2016, leaving their mother to be the sole provider for their home, a task that is nearly impossible in Pokot. Their mother works as a gold miner which results in her being gone for days on end in search of tiny specks of gold to sell and receive some money that can take care of their family. The sisters are 2 of 7 children, with the oldest being a boy and the others, girls. This inevitably is a larger burden on a single mom as the duty of earning an income is left to her and her oldest son.
As a team, our hearts were immediately drawn to this family as we learned of their story from Madam Rebecca. She went further to share that their admission was unique because it was the older sister who was coming to Alale Secondary School and her younger sister tagged along as an escort. Upon seeing them, Madam Rebecca refused to let the younger sister return home without the opportunity of receiving an education. Even though there is no gain for her to admit a student at no cost, she saw beyond the price tag and to the potential that would come from this girl receiving an education. The younger sister eagerly took on the opportunity and from the beginning of the school year, she and her sister shared the same set of school uniforms. We had the chance to get even more of the girl’s situation through a visit to their home. Our hope was to meet their mom and present the wonderful news to her that we would be taking on her daughters into our scholarship program, but she had not returned from her gold mining work for the day. Instead, we met their eldest sister who was quite amazed to be receiving visitors in such an unexpected manner. Presenting the good news to her was equally fulfilling! As an older sister, she was overcome with emotion as she received the news of her younger sisters’ sponsorship. Her joy and tears spread to the team as they watched the family embrace and rejoice over the news they had received.
It’s stories and moments like these that fuel us to go out with what we know and doing good! To come alongside a family that is struggling to make ends meet and bridge the gap, particularly where a major loss has occurred is quite an honor. By extension, you are part of this story! The girls’ future is bright as they chart a new path through education and grow beyond where their circumstances and situations would otherwise have kept them.
