Esther

My name is Esther. I live in Shianda, Kenya, with my mother and four sisters. I am the youngest in my family. My mother is a single parent, and she raised me and my three siblings on her own, since my father left us when I was four years old. He left because he needed a male heir; in our community, boys are more valued than girls. This made our life challenging, and we struggled to find food, shelter and clothing. At one point, we could not afford rent and were chased out of our house and left homeless and unable to pay school fees. Most of my high school fees came from financial assistance from the government.

When I was in high school, I was overwhelmed by feeling alone and discouraged. It was during that time that I was invited to Young Life club by a leader. I went to camp with her, and I decided to say yes to Jesus as my Savior. I then joined a discipleship group and church youth group. I am now a team leader for Young Life.

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I am studying mathematics and computers at Masinde Muliro University in Kakamega, Kenya. I will be the first person in my family to graduate from university. I want to use my degree to get a job and help my community while continuing my ministry with Young Life. I am hopeful that I can serve as a role model and that others will find hope for their own lives when they look at the faithfulness of God in mine.