Ruth hails from a hilly, cool-climate region of western Kenya, known for its tea plantations. She and her three little brothers came into their grandmother, Hellen’s, care after their mother died in 2018. Hellen always wanted her grandchildren to succeed in school, but there were many barriers.
In Kenya, education until high school is considered free, although there are school fees that the most impoverished families struggle to meet. At the end of grade eight, students write a qualifying exam that will determine their future – whether they can progress to high school, and if so, the quality of the high school as a gateway to post-secondary. But high schools come with more substantial tuition fees, and the better the school, the steeper the fees.
Ruth excelled in junior high. But Hellen would not have been able to send her to a high school that matched her academic ambitions. Thankfully, it is cases just like these that drive Starehe Girls Centre. Starehe is a world-class university-prep high school that offers full scholarships to academically gifted girls who, like Ruth, come from impoverished homes. Thanks to her Chalice sponsor, Ruth enrolled in grade nine, moved to the Nairobi campus, and never looked back.
She jumped into her classes, and immediately signed up for the Girl Guides movement. “At school, Ruth has been a diligent student,” says Sr. Jane, Starehe Girls director. With her sponsor’s steadfast support, Ruth’s teachers have seen her “sail through” her four years.
“Her sponsor has always encouraged Ruth through the letters he sent to her, to study hard,” Sr. Jane says, “telling her how important it is to have good professional training in order to reach higher goals in life.”
Now she’s finishing grade twelve and has become the leader of the Girl Guides. She has always wanted to pursue medicine, perhaps neurosurgery, but has also been drawn to the world of business, too. Either way, she hopes to travel the world, give back to her community, and most of all, uplift her grandmother and brothers back home.
“Ruth has been able to reach one of her most important goals of studying in school,” Sr. Jane says. “All the success that Ruth has experienced is because of Chalice sponsorship.”
See all the drawings at: chalice.ca/through-my-eyes