Voices of Students - Kibera Girls Soccer Academy

ZAINAB KHAMIS - Sixteen years old and in form two (10th grade). Zainabu lives with her ailing mum and two sisters, one in grade six and the other in grade eight.

Her mom worked as a house-help until she was diagnosed with high blood pressure complications. She has undergone surgery but that rendered her physically numb. Since her mom became sick and stopped working, Zainab has become the the bread winner in her family now. The money she gets for lunch at soccer sessions, she takes home. Apparently, those sessions are not very frequent.

I do not dare ask what else she does to put food on table.

Her performance record is strong, but has declined a tiny bit. In form one first term she was position one and third term she was position eight. Form two first term she was position seven.
She lacks a proper school uniform and exercise books. She talks about her mum's desire to begin a small clothes-selling enterprise despite her illness. She however, does not have the capital.

I asked if she has a word for the school administration. She seems in deep thought then says simply, "the diet needs improvement to maybe rice with beans or peas." The daily githeri, a corn and beans mix, while appreciated, is not easy on a teenage stomach.

CAROLYN AKINYI TIRUS - Eighteen years old and in form four. Caroline lives with her elder sister after her father died and her mother moved upcountry in 2007. The sister is married with three kids.

Among her challenges, she states that her sister won’t allow her to attend extra tutoring lessons on the weekends. Caroline's hope is that the school can be moved to a more serene and conducive learning environment soon. She also wishes that they could get more trained teachers.

There are not enough teachers for the difficult science subjects at the school. For the 205 students, there are only three biology teachers, two chemistry teachers, and one physics teacher.

"Any last word?" I ask before leaving. She looks me in the eye and minces no words,“people outside especially girls should be focused, learn hard and let’s no grass grow under their feet”.

SALLY VERA - In form three, seventeen years old. She transferred from her former school because of the 2008 post-election violence that rocked parts of Kenya and most of Kibera. But how did she land in a free school? Is her need genuine? I wonder.

I quickly discover that my skepticism is misplaced. Her dad became polygamous in 2008. Sally bitterly pours out all the details of her dad’s irresponsibility. He could no longer put food on table for them. Sally explains that instead of her dad paying her fee; he married two other women instead. His second and third wives live elsewhere within the Kibera slum.

Sally and her younger sister together with their mother who lives 500 kilometers away in Kisumu town have been neglected. This separation from her parents affects her psychologically. She fights the frustration by joining groups like Mchanganyiko whose agenda is the nurtuting of the girl child.

A dedicated student, Sally is proud that she has never repeated a single class. Last semester she was ranked 8th in a class of twenty seven students. She wishes they had an equipped lab at the school. She is thankful to Mr. Abdul who sometimes helps them with food for home feeding.

I have a look at her somber face and its sad expression at the end of our conversation. “It’s a ripe time people in Kibera valued girls education,” she pauses. “Girls should be encouraged and never engage in prostitution.”