Tracy grew up in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums. Most days as a young girl in school she went hungry. Thanks to a scholarship from the Brothers she is a certified teacher today. Tracy was born and raised in one of the largest informal settlements (slums) in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa. In most cases, informal settlement life is all about survival; people use any means to keep living. The set-up is characterized by poverty, insecurity, unemployment, poor health systems, poor roads, and drug abuse among other social ills. Growing up in such an environment is not a walk in the park; it is a real struggle as expressed in Tracy’s life.

“I had always seen life to be very unfair to me as I was growing up. Funny enough, this did not discourage me at all. Being brought up in the slum was not easy. Many times, I went to school without having breakfast and stayed in the school for a whole day without eating anything. I felt bad seeing others with lunch boxes enjoying their lunch while I had nothing to eat. After primary school, I performed very well but I was unable to join secondary school due to lack of school fees. This was the lowest, toughest and most tempting time in my life as a young lady idling in the slum. I couldn’t understand why God would allow me to pass through such an experience. After staying out of school for two years, well-wishers came through and educated me through high school even after the death of my mother in 2012. Deep inside me, I felt that was the end of my dream, given that university education costs huge sums of money.