By Christy Russell | Director of Communications
The story of Zainab and her sisters is a story of difficult decisions, parents willing to sacrifice but not divide their family, and strangers on the other side of the world resonating with the anxieties of raising twins.
Zainab, her older sister Saumu, and her twin sister Sakina were born in a remote village on the edge of Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, an international safari destination. Her father Masudi never learned to read, and her mother Mbeyu dropped out of school after 8th grade, as all students whose families cannot afford high school tuition must do. Masudi and Mbeyu were very poor and knew what that meant for the education of their children. They watched with mixed feelings as Zainab and her sisters grew up bright and curious.
Zainab, Saumu, and Sakina all completed 8th grade the same year and all scored at the top of the class on the national test that qualifies students for reputable high schools (which are all boarding schools in Kenya). Masudi had already moved his family to Mackinnon Road where he could work washing cars and trucks beside the Nairobi – Mombasa highway, but his income could not cover three sets of tuition and fees for his daughters. Desperate, their mother Mbeyu developed a plan.
Working through a womens’ group, Mbeyu managed to secure a loan to cover a year of tuition for all three girls, although it was more than the family could really afford. With the money, Mbayu fully paid tuition but could not afford school uniforms, bedding, and leather shoes. It was a full term of drama with the three sisters sharing only one complete uniform between them. The twins Zainab and Sakina slept together in a small bed in the dorm, sharing their one mattress and one blanket. In spite of the challenges, the three sisters finished their freshman year with good grades.
As the girls’ Sophomore year approached, the family was struggling to pay back the first-year loan and the lenders were unwilling to cover another year of school. It is at this point that Kenya Keys began grappling with the difficult decision.
All three girls were recommended to Kenya Keys for sponsorship. To spread the transformative power of education to as many families as possible, Kenya Keys has a policy of sponsoring no more than one child per family. Zainab and Sakina are apparently identical in many ways, including exceptionally high scores, even outscoring their older sister, but how could the Sponsorship Selection Committe chose between the twin sisters? After much discussion among the local Kenyans who make these decisions, Zainab was awarded a sponsorship.
With the acceptance, Joseph, our Executive Director in Kenya, sent a plea to the US team in charge of finding sponsors:
“I kindly request if a sponsor can sponsor both Zainab and her twin sister Sakina, they are identical twins and compete, getting similar scores in most subjects.”
Touched by the story of these sisters, our U.S. staff decided Kenya Keys should not split up the twins. By coincidence - if such things are a coincidence - a new sponsor had just signed up. They are a family with twin boys who, like Zainab and Sakina, had identical scores on their standardized tests. The family wanted to sponsor two students. Tears were shed as the story of Zainab and Sakina was told and the sponsorship of both girls was secured.
We at Kenya Keys see very difficult situations: poverty, hunger, sacrifices and decisions that seem unreasonable and heartbreaking. Then we see what feels like miracles: kindness and generosity pouring out, connections between hearts halfway around the world, and “coincidences” that spark joy and wipe away sorrow.
Thank you for being part of the joy. You are the answer to parents’ prayers and students’ desperate hopes. Together, we are making beautiful things happen.
P.S. You'll notice we just have photos of Zainab. I wish we could show you the sisters with their arms around each other, but all of this has just occured, and that photo has yet to be taken. It will, and what joyful day that will be!
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By Rinda Hayes | Co-founder, Development Director
By Christy Russell | Director of Communications
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