Namunyak and Nasikeu describe their lives in Kenya

On Left: Namunyak, Age: 14, Class: 8
On Right: Nasikeu, Age: 12, Class: 7

Namunyak walks to school each morning for an hour, from her traditional thatched home. Her father was killed in an incident associated with his drinking so she lives only with her mother. She has one brother who is 10, and one sister, 8. Her mother does farm work to support the family.

Namunyak wakes every morning at 5:30 and cleans the dishes from the previous day and cleans the house. Then she milks the cows, bathes and goes to school. When she comes homes after school, around 5pm, she tends the family garden. After she helps mom with dinner, she gets to bed, usually around 9pm. She is worried about being able to afford school.

Nasikeu (on right) lives in a mud house with her mom and dad and 5 siblings. Every morning, she leaves for school at 6am and returns home at 5pm. She does an hour or two of homework when she gets home before it gets dark, then goes down to the river to wash her clothes and bathe. She is required to work some evenings and every weekend doing farm work. Her father drinks heavily and will beat her if she doesn’t do her farm work, which consists of mostly digging and weed pulling. She would like to go to boarding school but can’t afford it. She wants to be a teacher and start her own school one day.