Everline Anyango
Evereline’s mother died when she was seven years old and both her and her siblings have been under their father’s care since. Everline has been forced to grow up prematurely, taking over the role of the mother by cooking for the family on a daily basis and performing the household chores.
Everline’s father, Evans, is employed at Kairangaita farm as a labourer earning £20 a month. The family lived in extreme poverty with Evans struggling to feed and support his three children. He is currently still paying off a loan incurred as a result of his wife’s death, which he took in order to comply with local customs and transport her body to her rural home. He is left with just £5 a month of his salary after paying the loan, making it very hard to cover basic needs such as clothing, school needs, health costs and food.
Everline’s family was introduced to AfCiC through her brother, Michael, who was introduced to the Day Care Centre (DCC) by his fellow friends while he was gathering materials on the street in order to sell them and add to his father’s income. Ever since Michael has come to the DCC in April 2007, Action for Children in Conflict have been supporting the family through food packages, uniform for the children and counselling for the family. Last year we assisted the father with a business loan so that he could set up an income generating activity (IGA) to carry out in the evenings, boosting his income from his daytime job.
Evans is an extremely responsible father and works hard to provide for his children. He is committed to their education and wants to improve their prospects for the future. Everline and her brother are both in their final year of primary school and will sit for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in November 2009. Everline and her brother are very bright and Evans wants them to get the best possible marks in the coming examinations. He has been using the extra income from his IGA to provide them with daily private tuition in the evening as the quality of the local primary school is very poor.
Unfortunately, secondary education remains well beyond the financial means of Evans, especially seeing as he has two children who are due to start in January 2010. AfCiC is keen to find a sponsor for Everline as, without this chance, it is likely she will continue to care for the entire family, stuck in a cycle of poverty. Secondary education is Everline’s chance to develop educationally and personally, empowering her to become the instigator of her own success in years to come.
