Yvonne Kaluma Atieno Auma is 16 and has attended Achungo (Rodi) for the past 5 years. She had heard many good stories from neighbors who had children attending Achungo. She lives about 1 mile away from the school with her aunt and uncle and 4 cousins. Her mother passed away during an operation when Yvonne was very young. She doesn’t know where her father is, but her 6 siblings apparently live with him (she is the second youngest).
Before Achungo, she had attended Kondele Primary in Kisumu but her family didn’t always have the money for the fees and she says there was “not enough learning and studies” at Kondele. She told us, “At Achungo, we study hard and will be able to go to good high school.” (The high school entrance exam at the end of 8th grade has a 100% passing rate at Achungo, although only about half of Kenya’s students pass each year.)
She likes the way Achungo teachers help the students with their studies. She says, “If you’re unable to pay school fees, you will be helped anyway. I will be able to continue my studies and get a good job. Achungo is better than other schools and has better performance.” [Public schools charge students to take an exam and the poorest students are humiliated when they have studied all year only to be sent home at exam time because they couldn’t pay the fees.]
Yvonne likes to read storybooks during free time and enjoys playing sports with her friend, Stella, and other students. On Sundays she goes to a nearby Catholic church.