Reaching for the stars: the story of Miriam Chebet

Miriam Chebet is a young ambitious 15-year-old girl born in a small village, Kipkositonik in Bomet County, Kenya. She was raised in a humble family of eleven children, with both parents, Christine and Josiah, not having a sustainable income to support their family. For basic survival, the household had to work at neighbouring farms, till late evenings, and were paid a measly daily wage of $1. Sometimes their pay would be delayed, and the entire family would sleep hungry.

Growing up Miriam would observe the daily struggles of her family for basic necessities, such as lack of access to sanitary towels, undergarments, water and soap and food. Attending school was also a struggle as schools were situated far from their homestead. Her older siblings, and Miriam, had to wake up very early to walk seven kilometres to attend school, sometimes on empty stomachs and with insufficient writing materials.

Due to the overwhelming challenges associated with poverty, some of Miriam’s older siblings dropped out of school, to either getting married or becoming herders.

Some of her sisters’ situation became worse when their marriages became abusive and unbearable, resulting in them having children but without any forms of empowerment.

Seeing the various social dynamics of her siblings, rooted in being disempowered, Miriam feared this would also be her fate as she could not foresee how her life would turn out better as the situation of poverty was getting worse and worse each day.

In the fleeting moments, Miriam had a vision of becoming a medical doctor but it felt elusive, until one of her sister’s, Viola, made a choice that changed the fate of Miriam. Viola made a decision to end her abusive marriage at the hands of a drunkard for the sake of her child. She left her village in pursuit of work while leaving her child under the care of Miriam. In this way, she could support both her family and her younger siblings’ education, back home, with the little that she earned.

Viola left the village of Kipkositonik for the bustling city of Nairobi. It was here that Viola met and started working for Maureen Bii, one of the women featured in The Journeys Of Her Project. Viola narrated everything to Maureen, from her personal challenges to her family dynamics and struggles and her dream of seeing her younger siblings and baby daughter getting a better chance at life than she did.

Maureen decided to pay them a home visit and met with the family, including the younger brother and Miriam, who was then in grade 8 and 6, respectively. Sighting their condition and their dream to change their destiny, Maureen embarked on finding help for the little ones but luckily, the brother was able to get financial support to attend and complete his secondary education in 2024. He is currently awaiting his results while aspiring to study at the University of Nairobi. Miriam, on the other hand, was fortunately able to complete Grade 8 in 2022 and due to her good grades, secured a spot in one of the best schools in Kericho, Litein Girls’ Secondary School.

However, she was unable to attend due to financial constraints. The school fees were hefty and her sister could not afford it. Maureen stepped in, once again, to seek financial assistance, like she did with Miriam’s brother. She was able to get support for Miriam from an elderly grandmother, to host Miriam, but unfortunately the host became ill and Miriam was forced to return home and look for another school.

Although Miriam managed to find a new school, she still had to walk to school by foot as the distance from her village was quite far. She awoke at 4am, daily, to leave the house at 4h30am, to reach school at 8am and in the evenings, she would leave school at 5pm, to reach home at 8pm. A morning and afternoon trek covered approximately 6 hours of walking each day, to receive an education and it was becoming a threat to her safety since she was a young girl growing into a young woman, especially walking alone in the bush, in darkness.

Miriam’s mother was very concerned about her daughter’s well-being and safety, worried every time Miriam had to cross the bushes in darkness, especially with the rising incidences of gang rape, but also did not want to hold her daughter back from achieving her dreams of an education, a milestone she, herself, has never accomplished. She wanted to see her children liberated from the clutches of poverty.

Viola shared their family’s anguish with Maureen, who subsequently approached her networks, including institutions and friends. However, it was difficult to get help as some institutions had already finalized their budget while others did not trust individual requests, until The Journeys Of Her Foundation came to their rescue.

Through Yumnah Jones, the Project Director of The Journeys Of Her Foundation, Miriam’s school fees were paid, covering her full tuition, including accommodation. Miriam was able to settle in a new boarding school called Ng’esumin Girls High School, through the help of a kind and supportive Head Mistress, Madam Joyce Tanui, who without delay offered Miriam a place at her school.

Miriam is now studying well with the support of teachers and fellow students. She no longer has to trek long distances each day to reach school. Through The JOH Foundation, her parents and family have peace of mind that not only is Miriam safe but also thriving in school, well on her way to achieving her dreams, God Willing.

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/raising-funds-for-miriam-chebet