KEEPING HOPE ALIVE: DAMA’S STORY

Like other girls in Kilifi County, Dama battled the odds to go through elementary education. She is a 16 year old girl from Ganze in Kilifi County.

She has been raised in a small village called Silala. Dama’s mother is a widow and a peasant farmer. Agriculture in Kilifi county is a struggling venture due to climatic changes that have resulted to high temperatures and erratic rainfall leading to poor yields and subsequently food insecurity and poor nutrition. The little money that her mother gets is what is expected to take care of the nine children under her care.
Dama has seen her older siblings drop out of school. Just a year earlier, her brother had finished primary school but could not join secondary school due to lack of school fees. Sadly, out of Dama’s five older siblings, only one managed to attain secondary school education. Though Dama knew there was a good chance of her failing to join secondary school, she remained focused and studied hard in school. She scored 322 marks out of a possible 500 marks.

Dama knew there was a big chance even with good performance in primary school, she would not transition to secondary level education. Nonetheless she worked hard in her primary school education to be a good example to her three younger siblings behind her in school. She did not want the siblings to lose hope in education and fail to study. Dama’s reasoning was that even if she did not continue with education, her younger siblings, performing well in primary school, would perhaps find circumstances different at their time and they would have a chance to join secondary education. ACLAD’s partner Kilifi Watoto Center identified Dama as one of the children in need of sponsorship. Ed and Aileen identified Dama for sponsorship.

They gave their financial support through ACLAD’S USA based partner organisation Africa’s Kidz and committed to cover all her costs for joining and remaining in boarding secondary school for the next four years catered for. On 10th January 2019, Dama got her chance to join boarding secondary school. She could not hide her joy. Dama believes she will score the highest grade possible of an “A” at the end of her high school studies and join university to start her career as a nurse. She is thankful to her sponsors Ed and Aileen for this great support. She says, “thank you very much for sponsoring me. I promise you that I will work extra hard and achieve my goal!”