Priscilla

Priscilla’s Story

By the time she was 14, Priscilla had narrowly escaped child marriage twice. Her father wanted a firstborn male heir, but instead got a daughter. In a community that values and prioritizes the boy child over the girl, he did not hide his dissatisfaction. A male heir would make him known and respectable in a way he believed Priscilla’s gender wouldn't.

He could not wait for her to grow, marry, and leave his home. Fortunately, Priscilla had already been attending school and had learned about the dangers of child marriage. Her father planned on selling her to become a wife in exchange for cattle and goats. She was petrified by what many young girls were forced to endure while missing out on pursuing her dreams.

Driven with fear, she cried to her parents begging them to change their minds but her father was not moved. Her mother wanted to help but she feared condemnation and banishment for challenging the elders and their community’s long-standing tradition. However, two nights before the ceremony, Priscilla’s mother helped her escape.

During this time, Priscilla sought refuge at a local church until they referred her to a rescue center for runaway girls seeking asylum from harmful traditional practices. She lived there for four years until she finished high school and was reunited with her family.

When Priscilla received the GLOW scholarship, she vowed to use the opportunities to become a voice for girls facing the danger of child marriage and other harmful traditions. During school breaks, she joins public gatherings in her village to advise the elders on decisions around genders while teaching them the importance of educating girls. Priscilla is studying Clinical Medicine at Kenya Medical Training College with a dream to bring quality and affordable healthcare closer home.

“Through the GLOW Foundation, the light in me shines upon my family and village. I cannot believe I would be married with children but instead I am the girl sitting with the elders to empower them.”