Her Story

One Girl Can Become a Project Manager

Name

Celline

Graduated

2022

School

Machakos University

BEFORE

Where her story started

Celline’s story started in financial insecurity: She would go to school without shoes or food or supplies and would be sent home when she couldn’t afford her school fees. She had to work harder than her peers to compensate for the lost time—peers who bullied her for her poverty.

Her self-esteem was at an all-time low and she felt hopeless, like she was working so hard, but nothing was changing. She couldn’t understand why life was so unfair—and why she had to be one of the unlucky ones. But Celline kept her head down, her grades up, and never gave up on herself.

Even in the face of adversity, Celline dreamt of a fulfilling career and financial stability. A life that would make a difference. She knew her dream would be limited by her family’s finances—but not by her grades. Her high school principal took note of her grades too—and it changed her life.

DURING

Her One Girl Can experience

One day, Celline’s principal called Celline out of class to meet our Executive Director and learn about One Girl Can. In that moment, she realized her hard work wasn’t for nothing: She had the grades to qualify for a university scholarship. Celline felt like a door opened for her, so she stepped through.

In her words, “I will never forget that day.” She had just come in from the farm with her grandmother, tired and muddied from farming when she read her acceptance letter. “When I finally told [my grandmother], she just broke down in tears. Tears of relief, of joy. And in that moment, it all felt real.”

Throughout her One Girl Can programming, Celline was most grateful for the career mentorship—mentorship she lacked as a first-born child. “Growth never stops,” she says. “But to continue to grow, you need to be supported from all angles. One Girl Can understood that perfectly.”

“There was never a moment I felt alone. I felt fully supported, thought of, loved, and believed in. Everything I needed to succeed was provided.”

Celine

One Girl Can Graduate & Project Lead

AFTER

The next chapter of her story

Today, Celline has fulfilled the dream she never thought possible: She graduated from university with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. She works as a Project Lead in EdTech and has put her farming roots and professional experience in sustainability to good use in a goat farming side hustle.

To her sponsor, Celline says, “I am where I am and who I am because of you. You believed in me, supported me all through university, and gave me what I needed to change my life.” And it’s because of her sponsor she’s inspired to give back to her community by mentoring other girls, just like her.

Celline became a first-generation university graduate because one girl can do anything.