Rhodah, 11, joined KCE I in 2022. She is from Mapashi, where she lived with one older brother and single mother.

“At home, the situation is not good. My mother is physically disabled and relies on help from well-wishers, especially the church we attend. We often have very little to eat because we are relying on help from my uncles and the church.

I had not heard about KCE. It was my uncle who came home one day and told my mother about the upcoming enrollment. The way he was describing the school, I felt it must be a good one. He said if I pass the enrollment test, I would be supported by an organization managing the school. After the enrollment process, my mother received a phone call informing her that I had been accepted. I was so happy, but my mother was happier. She wept a lot. She said that God had answered our prayers. 

On the first day of school, we carried over an old mattress from home that we were sleeping on with my mother. I was not happy because I knew my mother would be using cowhide instead, now that I had taken the mattress. She told me not to worry. When we arrived at KCE, she was told to take the mattress back home because I would be given a new one, plus bedsheets and blankets. I was also given many other things, including toothpaste and a toothbrush which I had never used before. I was so happy. We were given delicious food and shown around. Older students welcomed us, and we became friends with many of them who helped us to settle in.  

My favorite subjects are English and mathematics. We are being advised to start thinking about what we would like to be in the future. I think I might become a pilot, but I will make up my mind in the future.”