Davis and his family dwells in the busy Kawangware slums. He is a student at Ndurarua primary school and is in grade five. He’s a young man with much enthusiasm to make it in life and he takes education seriously. During our visit, we had to wait for him to come home from school, since he doesn’t want to miss class. Davis, his elder sister and mother are being hosted by their aunt at the moment. This is because the family got rocked with financial issues since the child’s father passed on last year and considering the fact that he was the breadwinner of the family. The mother lost her job due to the onset of COVID-19 pandemic and has not been able to secure another job since then and therefore, she cannot be able to rent a house to live in with her children. She currently depends on casual work like washing other people’s clothes so as to make a living. She says that it’s been tough for her and she is grateful for the help that her sister who also does casual work in the community has been giving them even as they wait for things to get better.
Davis is interested in getting a job in aeronautical engineering field when he finishes school. He hasn’t been able to attend school consistently because his mother has not been able to fully afford the school fees. This worries the child and the family at large because his academic progress is adversely hampered. He longs for a situation that he will be in school all the days of the term so that he can be able to realize his full potential. This is part of the reason his mother sought help from the program because she believes that with little help Davis to reach his full potential. At home, Davis sleeps on a sofa in the living room while the mother and his sister shares a bed in the other room of the house. They live in a double room house made of iron sheets and timber. They share washrooms with their neighbors as is common in the neighborhood. Water for domestic use is got from the tap outside the compound. Davis says he loves the place. The child also loves pets and he actually has a cat named Mary that is constantly following him around.
Davis is optimistic that all will be well soon. His mother is equally optimistic that her son will be able to finish primary school and then go on to a good secondary school. The child managed to score 574 in the recent selection interview. When he gets a sponsor, he will enroll at Jagiet Academy, which is one of our focus schools and be able to benefit from quality education.