Dorcus

Dorcus’ Story

Dorcus went to school every day on an empty stomach in a worn-out school uniform without basic materials such as pens, pencils, textbooks, and notebooks. She learned to make the best of what she had, writing on book covers and in between spaces of already filled-up notebooks. The village she grew up in discriminated against girls, prioritizing boys' education. When Dorcus was able to go to school, she would immediately be sent home despite her high scores when her fees went unpaid while in the same scenario, boys were given more leniency and privilege.

Dorcus’ mother worked as a typist and could only do so much with little earnings while her father was unemployed. When it came to paying for school fees, her mother paid her sons’ expenses but not Dorcus’. The only consolation that her mother could give her at the time was, "those are boys, they will succeed and pay your fees”.

The discrimination continued as boys in her village would tell her that no one would marry her because she was bright and men do not like smart women, asking her to be humble and not challenge them. Dorcus did not give up. She grew more determined to change her own story rather than wait till her brothers were done shaping their lives.

When Dorcus emerged among the top students in her class, the village and her peers were shocked. She started looking for funding opportunities in her village to continue to high school but boys were preferred for all of the ones she came across and tried to apply for. After months of searching, she came across only a few opportunities for girls and qualified for one, finished high school, and hoped she could find a way to finance college.

GLOW Foundation has now paved a way for Dorcus to continue pursuing her dreams, studying Computer Science at Kabarak University in Nairobi Kenya. Today, Dorcus is one of the few girls fighting to bring change in her village by tutoring young girls in Science and Math while empowering them to pursue education and follow their dreams.