Mwende’s Story
“Because of Girl Arise, I believe my dreams can come true.”
My name is Mwende, and I come from the hills of Mua. When I wake up in the morning, the air is cold and the mist sits low on the ground. My mother is already outside, washing vegetables to sell. My father has left to look for work. I always pray he finds some, because when he doesn’t, everything becomes harder.
I have always loved school. Even when I was small, I used to sit outside with my exercise book and copy letters until the page tore. My teachers say I am quiet, but they say I understand things quickly. I want to become a nurse one day. I want to help girls and mothers in my community, because I see how much they carry.
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But going to school has never been simple for me.
Some mornings, I walk eight kilometers to class. Some mornings, I stay home because my uniform is torn and I feel ashamed. Some mornings, I stay home because the levies are overdue and I know the teacher will send me back. Some mornings, I stay home because my mother needs help at her stall, and I cannot leave her alone.
I used to pretend I wasn’t worried, but I was. I worried I would fall behind. I worried I would be sent home again. I worried my dream of becoming a nurse would disappear before it even began.
Then Girl Arise came to Mua Hills.
I remember the day my mother told me. She said, “Mwende, someone has come to help you stay in school.” I didn’t believe her at first. But when she showed me the sponsorship letter, I felt something warm inside my chest, like hope waking up again.
Girl Arise paid my fees. They bought me a new uniform. They gave me books of my own. They helped with transport. They made sure I could go to school every day.
For the first time, I felt like my dream mattered to someone other than me.
Now, I attend school full-time. My grades have gone up. My teacher says, “Mwende, you are shining again.”
And now, Girl Arise is planning to build a school right here in Mua Hills. When I heard the news, I imagined a place where girls don’t have to walk long distances, where no one is sent home for fees, where we can learn without fear or shame.
I imagine myself in that school. I imagine other girls like me. I imagine a future that feels possible: not far away, not fragile, but real.
My name is Mwende. I am from Mua Hills. And because of Girl Arise, I believe my dreams can come true.