Margaret

My name is Maggie and I live in Gataka, an outlying slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Born into a humble home filled with love, I am the second born of five. My mother denied herself continually to ensure that we lacked nothing. We were never alone; she struggled with us. However, when my mother married my step-father, everything changed. He was not the man of character he claimed to be. Fatherly love was withheld from my sister and I and we were forced out from under from the support of the family to fend for ourselves.

Though my life has been marked by adversity, my resilience and unwillingness to give up have carried me through unspeakable hardship. I have overcome hunger and homelessness, sustained solely by prayer, the work of my hands, and the generosity of others. I was connected to Young Life by my cousin, who has always stood by me in every situation. Young Life changed me a lot and made me grow stronger in Christ. Now that I am a leader, I want to be a role model in my community. My faith in God makes me fear nothing, knowing that whatever comes my way, I have a strong shield in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been transformed by allowing forgiveness to have its way in my heart, and now I live to tell teens about faithful, life-changing love of the Father.

A recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I attend Multi Media University and am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in procurement and logistics management. My vision is to be a great business woman and to be able to help others realize their own business opportunities. So many people have potential, but fear conquers them. I want to be the person willing to help and stand by them through any doubt or difficulty. I will be the first in my family to graduate from university and want the fulfillment of this impossible dream to be a bright light of hope for my family and community.