List of Students

Martine Susan Ratia

Martine Susan Ratia is one of 15 children born to an unemployed father and mother. Both are illiterate. Only one of Martine's sisters has enrolled in school, but she was forced to drop out in Class 8 due to lack of funds. Thus far, two of Martine's sisters have been married off in early adolescence. The family relies entirely on money that Martine's mother makes from collecting and selling fire wood, as her father is ill and cannot work. Martine has been living with a relative who assisted her primary school education, and she performed well above average. But without a scholarship, she would not have been able to go on to secondary school, and like her sisters, would soon have been married off to ease the family poverty.

Date of Birth: 01/01/1996
Started Program: 17 weeks 27 min ago
Start Grade: 9th Grade (Form 1)
Current Grade: 9th Grade (Form 1)
School: St. Angela-Nguviu Girls' High School
Sponsored: Yes

Joy Naserem Saimi

Joy's father is a minister in a sparsely populated area, and his family is completely dependent on parishoners who can barely support their own families' needs. When Joy was given a scholarship there were three girls in the family and one more baby expected soon. Any education for these girls would have to depend on help from others.

Date of Birth: 09/04/2001
Started Program: 4 years 41 weeks ago
Start Grade: 1st Grade (Class 1)
Current Grade: 6th Grade (Class 6)
School: Kajiado Adventist Primary School
Sponsored: Yes

Florence Sereti Saitoti

Florence Sereti Saitoti comes from a family of twelve children, who are being raised solely by their mother. Her father was abusive and alcoholic, forcing Florence, her mother, and her siblings to flee his home. The children are entirely dependent on money made from their mother's bead making and gardening. Though her earnings have helped provide for some schooling, Florence's older brother, Sokoine, was still forced to drop out of school, and began working as a sand harvester to provide for his mother and siblings. The family experienced tragedy when Sokoine was hijacked and beaten up during his work shift, leaving him completely paralyzed. He relies on his mother for care and medicine, an added financial burden to an already struggling single mother. Florence sought out MGEF in order to attend secondary school, and eventually, get a job and contribute to her family and their standard of living. We enthusiastically accepted Florence in February 2013.

Date of Birth: 07/11/2000
Started Program: 15 weeks 2 days ago
Start Grade: 9th Grade (Form 1)
Current Grade: 9th Grade (Form 1)
School: Ilbissil Girls Secondary School
Sponsored: Yes

Ruth Sainoi Sampao

Ruth Sainoi Sampao is the first-born of four children and comes from non-polygamous parents. Her father is poorly educated, having only completed the fourth grade, and serves the community as an unpaid preacher. Due to a 10 kilometer distance between home and the nearest school, Ruth often arrives late to class, impeding her ability to learn at the same level as her fellow pupils. Her father, unable to pay for boarding school himself, sought the assistance of Kajiado Adventist School's head-teacher, and Ruth's story was then presented to MGEF.

Date of Birth: 02/02/2002
Started Program: 50 weeks 3 days ago
Start Grade: 3rd Grade (Class 3)
Current Grade: 4th Grade (Class 4)
School: Kajiado Adventist Primary School
Sponsored: Yes

Veronicah Shankutit Sampeke

Veronicah is the only child of six in her family to enroll in school. All three of her sisters were married off at the age of 13. Her father died when was very young, leaving her mother to sell water and firewood in order to get by. Veronicah was born with a disability that required surgery and rehabilitation, and she still relies on crutches to walk. She has worked very hard to do well in school "to make sure that no one defeated me because of my disability." Her mother struggled to pay for secondary school, but college was impossible until she was offered an MGEF scholarship. Veronicah is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Education at Kenyatta University.

Date of Birth: 10/12/1992
Started Program: 24 weeks 1 day ago
Start Grade: University
Current Grade: University
School: Kenyatta University
Sponsored: Yes