Purity

Purity’s Story

Born and raised in a coastal community in Kilifi, Purity’s family lived in a simple dwelling and often were ridiculed for their lack by the community. Because of greater needs, they could not afford a door hence used a cloth as covering which left them vulnerable to pests and harm.

Purity continued to focus on her education in a community where boys are sent to school over girls, and the opportunities for girls to escape their cultural restraints are few and far between. According to Purity, girls’ education in her village is neither appreciated nor prioritized with women’s rights severely undermined. Her father was particularly unimpressed that she worked hard in school and would often turn to violence towards her mother when she supported their education. He told Purity that he would be happier if she were like most girls in the village who stayed home to help their mothers with chores and feeding the family. Were it not for her teachers’ encouragement, helping to identify potential scholarships to help with her education, Purity would have been forced out of school years ago.

Now as a GLOW Scholar, Purity is pursuing a degree in Counseling Psychology at Moi University. She is still burdened by her community as many of her peers and younger girls have given up on education as a result of poverty. They’ve been forced to marry young, some becoming pregnant and dropping out of school. “I did not want to be one of those girls,” she said thinking back to her childhood, “it was no longer surprising to see children wandering the village aimlessly when they should have been in school”.

Purity’s life goal is to build and equip a maternity ward in her village to help pregnant young women who often die on their way to distant, congested, and understaffed facilities. With her counseling expertise, she plans on offering free counseling to promote the mental health of mothers.