- Everlyne Wafula believes she was destined for a brighter future, but fate had other plans
- When she lost her father at a young age, the family’s finances dipped, forcing her to drop out of school
- Despite being a top student, she settled for a housemaid’s job after failing to find fees to join college
Everlyne Blessed Wafula’s life was a tale of joy and comfort until she turned seven, and everything changed.
Source: UGC
Her early childhood was marked by happiness until a tragic road accident claimed her father’s life, taking away the family breadwinner.
For a family of eight, his passing left a void that thrust them into hardship as their mother, a housewife, struggled to make ends meet.
How Everlyne’s life crumbled
In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Everlyne shared that two years after her father’s death, the family’s plight worsened.
They were no longer welcome in the place where their father was buried because their mother refused to be inherited, a local custom.
Consequently, the family relocated to their maternal grandparents’ home, but life there proved even more challenging.
“Despite my grandfather being one of the wealthiest men in the area, our family received no assistance,” she narrated.
How was life at their grandparents’?
At her grandfather’s home, Everlyne and her siblings faced rivalry and jealousy from their step-uncles and step-aunts, children of her grandfather’s six wives.
The environment was toxic, filled with constant strife and competition. School fees became an insurmountable obstacle, and they were often sent home due to unpaid fees.
With kids to raise on her own, their mother was undeterred by the hardships and worked menial jobs for meagre pay.
Determined to provide a stable environment for her children, their mum eventually moved the family to a small house nearby.
How did Everlyne’s mother pay bills?
Desperation led Everlyne’s mother to sell illegal homemade alcohol (chang’aa) to sustain her family, which brought regular run-ins with the police.
Despite the frequent arrests, her mother persisted, and the sight of her mother being repeatedly apprehended by the police became a recurrent happening.
In December, during her third term in Class 6, Everlyne secured a job as a housemaid in Nairobi’s Dandora neighbourhood.
This marked the beginning of her attempts to support her family. She worked diligently, using her earnings to contribute to the household.
Everlyne’s turning point
After returning to school for a term, she repeated Class 7 at a new school due to the lack of registration fees for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam.
Everlyne’s perseverance paid off when she found employment with a kind employer in Nairobi’s Industrial Area.
This boss provided her with a job and allowed her to attend school alongside her children.
Excelling academically, Everlyne returned home with enough savings to pay her school fees in full and rejoined school for her final year of primary education.
Why did Everlyne become a housemaid?
Despite severe headaches that often kept her home, Everlyne completed her KCPE, scoring 305 out of 500 marks.
Although she hoped for a higher score, she accepted her results, knowing she had done her best under challenging circumstances.
Faced with the lack of school fees for secondary education, she approached a neighbour who could help her acquire a bursary.
Her desire to pursue further education hit a snag when the would-be destiny helper demanded she pay a bribe before he helped her.
Sadly, that would end Everlyne’s educational journey, forcing her to become a full-time house girl while regretting the chances she missed to become someone better.
Young woman becomes housegirl to fund college education
Elsewhere, Robina Namwinga was orphaned at a young age, a situation made worse by her elder sister’s death.
With no one to fund her college education, she found a job as a housegirl to raise fees for nursing college.
She has worked for a year and saved enough to start a small business to help fund her education.
Source: TUKO.co.ke