Medrine Agenorwot, a Senior four student at Masese Seed Senior Secondary School, is a young woman with a vision for the future. Inspired by her uncle, she dreams of becoming a civil engineer, constructing roads and infrastructure that will transform communities.  

Before receiving a scholarship from Enabel, life for Medrine was filled with uncertainty and hardship. Her mother, the sole breadwinner of the family, ran a small shop to support her children. However, tragedy struck when robbers broke into the shop, leaving the family with nothing. 

“Mom was always at home after that,” Medrine recalls. “When they sent us back home for school fees, we would find her there, and it felt like the end of the road for us.” 

The financial strain was overwhelming. Medrine and her siblings were often sent home from school for unpaid fees, and the burden of catching up on missed lessons weighed heavily on her. 

“Whenever I came back to school, my friends had already studied a lot, and I couldn’t catch up,” she says. “I needed the teachers’ explanations, but I had missed it. It was very hard for me to concentrate.” Her performance suffered, and she often found herself in the “basic” or “moderate” grading categories. 

Despite the challenges, Medrine’s mother encouraged her to stay focused on her studies. When Medrine suggested selling chapatis on the streets to help with school fees, her mother refused, fearing for her safety. She told me, "You’re a girl child, and the streets are not safe for you. We’ll pray to God, and He will provide.’" And indeed, their prayers were answered. 

In 2024, Medrine was selected for a scholarship from Enabel. “I was so happy,” she recalls, tears welling up at the memory. “Mr. Kambo Hakim, the deputy head teacher, called my mom and told her the good news. Mom said, ‘God has answered our prayers." The scholarship covered her school fees, lifting a significant burden off her family and allowing her to focus on her education. “Now, I’m not stressed about school fees. I can concentrate, and my performance has improved,” she says.  

With the scholarship ending after Senior Four, Medrine is already planning. She hopes to set up a small business at her mother’s shop, which has been restocked with a few items. “I want to fry chapatis and sell them at the shop,” she explains. “I’ll save the money to support myself in senior five.”  

Medrine is also part of a student savings group at school, where she and her friends contribute whatever, they can. “Even if it’s just 500 shillings (0.12 euros), I save it,” she says. At the end of the year, the group divides the savings based on each member’s contributions, providing a small but meaningful financial cushion. 

Medrine’s mother is also doing her part to prepare for the future. “She sells sodas and saves the money in a box,” Medrine shares. “She even wrote my name on the box to remind herself that it’s for me.” As the firstborn, Medrine feels a deep responsibility to set an example for her younger siblings. “I always tell them to follow my example,” she says. “ i am very tough on them because I want them to study and work hard.” 

With her dreams of becoming a civil engineer and her plans to support her education, Medrine is building a future not just for herself but for her family and community. As she puts it, “I’m studying, and I’ll keep working hard. God has a plan for me.”