Equip rural Kenyan girls to GET UP out of poverty

In June, I had the joyful chance to visit one of our Umoja scholars and a GET UP member, Helida, at the University of Nairobi where she’s getting a Liberal Arts degree. Helida has the biggest smile, which never went away, even as she discussed some of the great challenges she’s faced as a girl. With Helida’s permission, I recorded some of our conversation, and want to share it with you all. She truly is a girl who has shown she will GET UP, not give up. 

“I’m proud of my mother. From the time I’ve known her, from then till now, she’s brought me up this far. When I was young, my mother had gone through a lot to bring us up. My two sisters are married. One, she didn’t complete class 8, but she was married in 2002. Then the other one got pregnant when she was in class 8, she completed class 8, then she joined form 1, form 2, then she got married. We have passed through a lot as a family. 

But when I joined high school, when Umoja started to help me, I was that focused. In my mind, I’ve always wanted to join a university. To be the first one, in my family to join university direct.

In secondary, some people liked talking about me, so I had this rumor, someone said I won’t go ahead with my studying, I will get pregnant, things like that. Then I came to finish my high school, and I was the best again. So I realized if could keep hearing what people say, it gets stuck in you and you do it. So you keep off what people say and you do what you want. That’s when I was the best in form 4, and I realized I can be the best everywhere, anything, I’m the best. I’m a champion. From the time I was born I’ve been a champion. So that keeps me motivated and that’s when I’ve been so happy with myself.

My smile? It’s the motivation that I have for myself. Because you can’t just keep on frowning. When you smile, you see you have a bright future ahead. So the smile keeps you motivated, you can be something great, bright. You make something brighter. So that’s why I smile.”

Helida was the first person in her family to join university, now a student at one of the top schools in all of Africa with a big a future ahead of her. With financial support from Umoja and moral support from GET UP, whom she describes as her closest friends, Helida’s motivation to GET UP, not give up, is being realized. She is a champion, and we are so excited for her future.