Esther

Hello,

my name is Esther Chege, and I am 22 years old. I grew up in Nakuru, Kenya, as one of three children. When I was 12, my father passed away a few months before my primary national examinations. My mother, a young widow and casual laborer, suddenly became the sole provider for our family. Life became incredibly difficult. After primary school, despite scoring highly on my national exams, I thought my education had ended, because my mother simply could not afford the school fees.

My journey to IVORY was born out of that struggle. There, I was given a chance that changed my life. It was more than financial assistance; it was hope. It meant I could proceed to high school like other young girls.

„For the first time, I had permission to dream, holding tightly to the belief that education was my only chance to change the course of my life.“

I excelled in high school and chose Education as my long-term career path. However, university has not been easy. One of the hardest periods was when I struggled to pay my tuition and rent after missing out on campus accommodation. There were days filled with uncertainty, wondering whether I would be able to stay in school. To survive, I resorted to selling sweets and thrifted clothes in the campus hostels in the evenings. What kept me going was my deep passion for education and my love for children.

Today, that belief is stronger than ever. My driving force is my weekend volunteering experiences as a teacher at Blooms of Ghetto in the Mathare informal settlement. Teaching young girls who share similar experiences to my own has shaped my ultimate dream: to pursue postgraduate studies in Educational Technology and become a lecturer. I hope to help girls gain exposure to technology and digital education, opening doors that many of them never imagined possible.

I am where I am today because people believed in me when circumstances suggested otherwise. With your support to complete my final semester, I will finally cross the finish line of my bachelor’s degree and take the first step toward my postgraduate journey.

Thank you,
Esther Chege