Dear Friends, 

I write to you once again with hope. The hope is that you will find it in yourself to believe in yet another dream. Esther Kanze is a 2022 high school graduate of Asumbi Girls High School, my alma mater. She has been admitted to Pwani University, where she is enthusiastic about pursuing her Bachelor’s in Education. Her goal is to become an educator, first as a high school Chemistry teacher and eventually as a professor of the same. 

For those who don’t know Kanze, I will try my best to paint a picture of this young girl. Picture a medium-height, chocolate-skinned girl raised in the coastal town of Kilifi, Kenya. She is young, ambitious, and a big dreamer. I describe her as a big dreamer because it is evident in the bold steps she has taken. Esther Kanze is the fourth in a family of eight, and in her family, she is a rare gem, the first to get into a national school, one of the best in the whole country. And now she is going to be the first in her family to go to university, Insha’Allah! 

 I describe Esther as resilient because even though her dream of getting a university education seemed like a dead dream—after all, none of her other three siblings have done it—she did not give up. “After my completion of high school and receiving my results, I started going to different offices to seek bursaries, but all was in vain. I then decided to look for a job and save some money so that I could attend any university. Well, as much as I would like to say that this worked, Victoria, it did not. The basic necessities are too much, and I have to chip in to help Mum where I can.” — this is a cut of my conversation with her. 

 So, dear friends, this is the story. A story of another bold girl who refuses to let poverty kill her dream. We are hoping to raise $1500 by September so that she can join during the September intake. Let’s stand with Kanze. I am hopeful that in a couple of weeks, I will be writing to you with good news.