When the Education News toured the humble home of 21-year-old Fridah Kamwangi in Kathanjuri, Runyenjes constituency, Embu County, both she and her mother could not hold back their tears.
The small mud-walled house echoed with tears as they asked why life had dealt them such heavy blows. Their story is one of pain, resilience, and a desperate cry for help.
Fridah’s dream is to pursue education and escape the chains of poverty that have haunted their family for a long time. Last year (2024), she completed her studies at Nguviu Girls High School, earning a B- grade in the KCSE.
This performance secured her admission to the University of Embu to pursue a degree in Information Technology. But even with the admission letter in her hands, her dreams were cut short.
She was turned away from the university premises because she had nothing, no fees, no necessities, not even the bare minimum to survive. She just watched her fellow students proceed to lecture halls after successful admission, and she helplessly walked out of the university.
Fridah said she had applied for government sponsorship, but she was not lucky.
Her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. In 2021, barely a week after giving birth, Fridah walked back into class, determined not to abandon her education. She studied under ridicule, stigma, and poverty. Yet, she held her head high, believing that education was the only way to save herself and her family from the cycle of suffering.
But the struggle did not start with motherhood. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning, Fridah’s KCPE performance was affected; yet, she still managed to score 305 marks in 2021 when she sat for the exam.
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Unlike her six siblings, who dropped out of school because of poverty, she fought on, often going without food and walking long distances to stay in class. She alone carried the burden of hope in a family weighed down by despair.
When her mother, Bether Maringu, spoke to the journalist, she could barely get her words out through tears.
“I have struggled all through, only depending on cassava for lunch and supper. Sometimes we go without food. I am still struggling. I am now suffering from chest pains due to the struggles of life. My daughter is here, and I do not know what to do. I have been asking God if he has abandoned me since this is the worst time in my life,” she cried, clutching her chest.
The grief of watching her daughter’s dreams slip away is a pain she says is worse than her own hunger.
The roots of their hardship run deep. Their father, once a pillar of the family, lost a leg through amputation before passing away, leaving the family in ruin.
Since then, Bether has shouldered the heavy responsibility of raising seven children single-handedly, without a stable income. Her efforts have been heroic, but the weight has been too much to bear.
Fridah’s return home after being turned away from university has plunged the family into more profound despair.
“It hurt me to stand outside the lecture halls and watch my classmates walk in,” Fridah whispered, wiping away tears.
“I kept asking myself, why me? Why must I suffer like this when all I want is to learn?” the student asked.
Now, her appeal is not just for school fees, it is for a chance at life.“I don’t want to be defined by my struggles. I want to change my life and take care of my mother, who has sacrificed everything for us,” she said.
She is still at home waiting for heaven to open for her.
Fridah and her mother Bether cry helplessly outside their muddy house in Kathanjuri Runyenjes constituency, Embu:
By Brian Kaleti
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