Maureens Story

Case study - Maureen Itigu

Maureen has been on the Miale Child Support Programme since 2007 and sat her final A level exams in 2009 emerging top girl in Ayany Primary School. In February 2010 through help from the Miale Scholarship Programme Maureen joined Ngara Girls High School. She is going to work hard as she hopes to get good enough grades to be accepted for University.

Background

Maureen was born in Kakamega which is in Western Kenya. Her parents separated in 1995 and Maureen and her three older siblings remained with her father and a new stepmother. She was cruel and for Maureen who was only one at the time, life was hard! Her siblings escaped to their grandmother's place but Maureen did not remember where this was so she decided to go and stay with her best friend. His parents welcomed her but soon her stepmother came and took her back home. Life was very unpleasant for Maureen, she was punched and kicked by her stepmother's sons if she didn't do a good job of the things that they asked her to do.

Maureen eventually ran away back to her old home and after one week her Mother came to get her and took her to stay with her Grandmother. She stayed there for two years. Her mother then took her to Eldoret where she stayed for about one year before joining school. She attended school for two years and then her mother took her to visit her Grandparents and her Father who had now re-married asked her to go and live with him in Nairobi. She did this and in 2002, Maureen joined Ayany Primary School in Standard 2. She did her best and became top student in her class. Most of the time she couldn't attend school because her father couldn't afford the class fees, but despite this Maureen being a bright child still came top of the class.

In 2007 Maureen's mother passed away and this proved to be a very difficult time for Maureen. It was during this period that Maureen was identified as being one of the children who required support. She was given a new school uniform, help with extra tuition classes and food. Maureen is keen to point out that all of these things have enabled her to concentrate on her studies and she is delighted at the prospects now available to her because of the support from the Miale Programmes. Maureen has also taken pleasure from the holiday club which has helped her to enjoy her free time and learn lots of new and interesting things.