Angela
Angela is a stubborn and strongheaded member of the second grade class at KSG. The second graders are, indisputably, the leaders of the whole school. Angela takes on this role with aplomb. She is quick to stand up for what she believes in or defend a classmate who is being picked on. It’s clear that she’s had a hard life so far that has forced her to learn how to defend herself and her friends. Accordingly, Angela can be wary of new people. When meeting volunteers at the school, she sometimes refuses to talk or even look at them. However, when Angela finally warms to you, you’ll know. She is always there offering a hand to hold or a sweet letter to her teachers, whom she really loves and respects. Angela is lucky to have such positive female role models in her life. She truly benefits from this aspect of KSG, and is sure to grow into an incredible young woman herself.
Beldin
Beldin is one of the 2nd graders, a group of girls who are indisputably the leaders of the Kibera School for Girls. She more than fulfills this role, as a leader in her class and a role model for the younger girls to look up to. She’s very smart and excels in reading and math, but absolutely has a fun side to her. Beldin loves to play games outside with her classmates. She also loves to sing and dance. Beldin even created a speech in public speaking class about how much she loves to dance. She performed the speech with poise and confidence. Beldin can be a little spacey and silly at times, and will sometimes stick out her tongue or make a funny face if she doesn’t know the answer in class. When the girls made friendship bracelets, she took a few strands and tied them around her head like a headband. At 8 years old, Beldin is the perfect age—she’s old enough to behave herself, but young enough to still have fun with everything she does. Beldin explains why she loves KSG: “Kibera School for Girls is the best because it is fun to be in Kibera School for Girls. We don’t pay money and they bring us new uniforms.” Kibera School for Girls is truly benefiting her by allowing her to retain that youthful spirit and encouraging her to grow up to become whatever she wants to be.
Emmaculate
When Emmaculate grows up, she wants to be a pilot. Knowing Emmaculate, she will be able to do whatever she wants to do. She is a leader among the older girls at KSG, making her have one of the biggest impacts over the entire school. Every day, Emmaculate leads the other girls in songs. Emmaculate’s loud, beautiful voice sings each line, the other girls repeating after her. Her voice can almost reach over the sound of the entire group. Emmaculate never just sings the words, she adds her own spin on it, shaking her hips or clapping to the beat. While on a field trip, Emmaculate led her entire bus in song for the whole bus ride: about 40 minutes straight. She is confident and poised; the younger girls really look up to her because of this. Emmaculate is funky, stylish, and sassy. She comes to school every day with a different hairstyle. This girl is definitely a performer at heart; she was born to be a star. She is also very smart, and uses her outgoing personality to her advantage during class. She always raises her hand and actively participates in discussions. During a Public Speaking lesson, it was easy for Emmaculate to create and perform a speech to the class. Emmaculate is also athletic; she is fast and always in control of the ball during football matches. In all honesty, Emmaculate is probably good at everything. She has so much love to give, always smiling and wanting to hold your hand. Emmaculate is lucky to be able to attend KSG, but KSG is also lucky to have Emmaculate.
Eunice
It is not an exaggeration to say that Eunice may be the smartest girl at the Kibera School for Girls. She has a certain wisdom that makes her seem much older than she actually is. Eunice always plays close attention and participates during class, showing how important learning is to her. In the song the girls sing “I can,” the lyrics proclaim “I know I can/ Be what I wanna be/ If I work hard on it/ I’ll be where I wanna be.” Hearing Eunice sing these words, you can’t help but acknowledge the truth behind them. Thanks to the Kibera School for Girls, Eunice, a naturally determined person, is able to learn and grow every single day. Because of this, who knows the wonderful things she will grow up to accomplish. Eunice says that she wants to be a doctor. In Eunice’s own words, “I want to be a doctor because I like that they help people.” Kibera School for Girls in a way “saved her life,” and someday Eunice may be doing the same thing for others.
Exferance
Exferance has been described as “an explorer.” An independent 2nd grader who is very self-sufficient, she really has a mind of her own. Always wandering, Exferance turns up everywhere–visiting the kitchen in the back of KSG, exploring other classrooms during free time, and tackling volunteers by offering up very enthusiastic hugs in the hallway. In the classroom, she helps out others without ever being asked. Exferance is also a very bright girl- she takes school very seriously, and actively participates in class. But Exferance knows how to have fun too. She loves to dance. When asked to make a speech for class, Exference wrote about how her favorite activity is dance. She performed this speech with confidence and grace (the same way that she dances!) Exferance is full of love, especially for her teachers, whom she really looks up to. She often writes them little notes expressing how she hopes to be like them when she grows up. Exferance is lucky to attend KSG and have such positive role models; she is sure to grow into an amazing young woman.
Herenia
Herenia is full of love. She always wants to hold your hand or engage in conversation. A true people’s person, Herenia has made wonderful connections with students, teachers, and volunteers at KSG. She is always bursting with energy, ready to run and give you a big hug at any moment. Herenia also has a great sense of humor. When asked what her favorite color was she replied, “Every color- duh!” It is not a surprise that Herenia loves every color, because she loves everything! She is incredibly smart, especially at math. She can do math problems much more advanced than the typical 2nd grader. Herenia also loves reading. In a public speaking class, Herenia wrote and performed a speech about why she loves reading. She spoke with eloquence and grace. Herenia loves learning, and this fact is obvious in the classroom at KSG. Herenia is a compassionate young woman who cares about her teachers and the other girls at KSG. Herenia has the insight to notice when someone seems down, and the ability to cheer them up with her laughter and love. Herenia displays this laughter and love every day at KSG.
Idah
Idah, one of the oldest girls at KSG, has a certain sophistication and maturity to her. She is a very bright girl who always pays attention during class and actively participates in discussions. Even so, Idah has a certain silliness, which comes from a love for laughter and pure joy for life. Idah has a lot of close friends at KSG, and the teachers have a lot of respect for her. Idah loves to jump is front of the camera and show off her personality. During a Public Speaking class at KSG, she made a wonderful speech about why she loves KSG. She was one of the first to raise her hand to perform this in front of the class, and she did so with grace and confidence. Greatly benefiting from KSG, Idah is excelling in reading as one of the top readers of the entire 2nd grade. Her reading teacher says that English words roll of her tongue with ease and articulation. When Idah grow up, she wants to be a pilot. With her determination and help from the opportunities at KSG, she is sure to become whatever she wants. Whether learning or playing, Idah does everything with a smile on her face.
Jackie
Jackie oozes cool. She isn’t loud or excitable, but she’s always having a good time and has many talents. She’s a great singer and dancer, loves to jump rope, and is excellent at soccer. As a member of the oldest grade at the school, she’s absolutely a role model. And since she’s so tall, the younger girls literally look up to her! She’s also great when the girls are in class and not playing games. Jackie is ready to answer any question and does so in a calm way (she never waves her hand in the air or snaps for the teacher’s attention). And when she does answer questions, she does so with quiet confidence that truly shows her maturity. She’s one of the top readers in the second grade. With the help of everybody at KSG, Jackie is sure to go far.
Jesinter
Jesinter, though somewhat shy, is one of the sweetest 2nd graders at KSG. She is always willing to help out her teachers and friends. Which makes sense, because she may want to be a teacher when she grows up. At other times, however, she says she wants to be a pilot. Jesinter created a speech about how she wants to be a pilot when she grows up, and she loves going to school because she knows it will help her become whatever she wants to be. Jesinter is a wonderful learner, and always actively participates in class. She works hard at KSG, and her hard work pays off. In the above picture, Jesinter is presenting a speech for her public speaking class. Jesinter wrote about why she loves KSG and thinks that all girls should be able to go there. Jesinter also knows how to have fun though. She loves to play games with her friends, and can often be found singing or dancing outside during free time. Jesinter is a very special young woman, and KSG is lucky to have her.
Joyce
From the moment you see Joyce, it’s impossible not to recognize how kind and sweet she is. Joyce has an honest face and is always smiling. She is very smart without ever rubbing it in anyone’s face. Joyce is a wonderful reader, her reading teacher says she is one of the best at reading out loud. She always pays close attention during class, and is an active class participant. Joyce loves KSG and you only have to watch her to realize how much she loves learning. In public speaking class, Joyce created and performed a speech about why she loves the Kibera School for Girls. She spoke with confidence and poise. In her own words, “Kibera School for Girls is the best because people study well. Everything is free because we have sponsors. Here, I learn so much!”
Lillian
Lillian is a leader among the older girls at KSG, and an inspiration to the younger girls. She has an open mind and is ready to try anything, making her a wonderful example for the other girls. Lillian takes learning very seriously, and this can be seen in any classroom at KSG. She is not just good at taking in information, but also utilizing her creative side. In dance class, Lillian was incredible at using her imagination to create interesting shapes and movements. Also a wonderful reader, Lillian is reading at a level beyond others in her class. In fact, Lillian loves reading so much that when asked to create and perform a speech for class, Lillian did hers about reading. She wrote, “My favorite book is Clifford. I enjoy reading in the morning. Others should like it because it can make you be what you want to be.” Lillian presented her speech to the class with confidence and poise. While serious about school, she loves to spend recess singing, dancing, and playing with her friends. Quite the jokester, Lillian likes to dress up in silly clothes or make ridiculous faces. Lillian loves the Kibera School for Girls; she knows that as a result of the education she is getting, Lillian will be able to be whatever she wants to be.
Lorna
When Lorna grows up, she wants to be a pilot. This is what Lorna wrote a speech about in public speaking class, which she then performed with confidence and poise. Lorna is very bright, and excels in the classroom at KSG. She takes school very seriously, and is always one of the first to raise her hand in the air to answer a question. Lorna loves to read, and is one of the best readers out of all the older girls. Though serious at times, Lorna also knows how to have fun. She loves to sing and dance, and took a special liking to dance class over the KSG Summer Camp. Lorna learned how to step dance, and she was very good at remembering and performing the steps. Lorna is very creative, and she uses her imagination to her advantage. Now that Lorna is at KSG, she knows she will be able to do whatever she wants in the future, if she works hard. Her enthusiasm and wonderful spirit is contagious; KSG is lucky to have a wonderful student and young woman in Lorna. In her own words, “I love the Kibera School for Girls because it is smart and beautiful. We have many sponsors, and many people want to come here. Kibera School for Girls is the best!”
Margaret
Margaret loves to sing. You can often find her singing and dancing with her friends, a sure sign of how much she enjoys life. Margaret has a love for learning which she is able to utilize at KSG. She listens closely and participates in class, always one of the first to raise her hand in the air to answer a question. At KSG, Margaret is learning that she is worth it. While it is not seen as necessary for girls to get an education in Kenyan society, Margaret is learning that she deserves to have an education. With that new mentality, who knows what Margaret will be able to accomplish. It is obvious how much Margaret loves KSG; In a public speaking class, Margaret wrote and performed a speech on this topic. In her own words, “Kibera school for girls is good for books and the many sponsors and many teachers. I love Teacher Julia and Teacher Lydia. The teachers in the Kibera School for Girls are good teachers but in other school they are not having good teachers. Kibera School for Girls is the best!”
Natasha
Natasha is an indispensable member of the Kibera School for Girls’ oldest class. She exemplifies everything that the school stands for: she’s incredibly bright, always confident, and very sure of herself. Natasha is great at everything from math to making sock puppets; she puts her full effort into everything she tries. This is not to say that she’s overly serious. Quite the contrary, Natasha has a ton of fun at school. When she works, she totally zones out, completely focusing on the task at hand. When someone calls her name or waves in her face to get her back, she answers with a smile and quickly gets back to business. At any free moment, you can find her whispering and giggling with her best friend Velma, also a second grader. Natasha is one of the top students in her grade and one of the leaders of the whole school. When Natasha grows up, she wants to be a pilot. She wrote “I think it would be really fun when you are driving the plane. I enjoy it.” The Kibera School for Girls is lucky to have such a vivacious student, and she is lucky to have such a great atmosphere in which to grow. In her own words, “I love the Kibera School for Girls because they give us books, because we don’t pay money, and because we eat well. The teachers like us. They even bring for us shorts. The teachers love us.”
Velma
Velma tends to act older than she really is, making her one of the most mature girls at KSG. The way she walks around, plays, and speaks is like the confidence of an adult in a 2nd grader’s body. Velma is also extremely friendly, always draping an arm always around her classmates and friends. These two traits — her friendliness and her confidence — makes it very apparent that Velma is destined to be a leader one day. Indeed, she already is a leader at KSG, always ready to speak, share, and play. Who know what will come from Velma in the future- maybe she will even be a leader of Kenya one day! Velma herself, however, says that she wants to be a pilot when she grows up. She thinks flying is something she would really enjoy. The girls recently went on a field trip to the airport, and Velma loved watching the places take off! Velma knows that she has to work really hard at KSG and beyond. With her enthusiasm, intelligence, and determination, there is no doubt that Velma will do just that! Velma explains, in a speech she performed during class, why she loves KSG: “I love Kibera School for Girls because we have many good teachers. We have many things to do every day. We have many books in our school. We have many visitors in our school. Thank you very much.”