Education sometimes may be taken for granted, however, this was certainly not the case for Purity.

Her mother's last words before she died had changed everything for Purity. She had told her,“work hard and promise me you will have a bright life…” 

But how can someone have a bright life, when there are no parents to support them? In order for her to go to school, Purity needed to pay school fees, buy uniforms and obtain other basic school needs. She was desperately looking for someone to help her when the Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund (CCLEF) came to her aid through her secondary school. 

This is Purity’s story in her own words, taken from when she first applied for sponsorship to the CCLEF:

"My father died when I was only 6 months old and my mother died when I was 9 years old.  Life has been difficult for me and my guardian, because it is not easy being an orphan or paying schools fees and everything for an orphan. I am kindly asking for your help in sponsoring me with my educational needs because my guardian cannot manage to pay for me and all my siblings. She faces a lot of difficulties. I want to pay her back when I finish school because she has done so much...

My ambition is to be a medical doctor because I want to save lives of people and parents so that their children don’t suffer or go through what we orphans have gone through. It makes me sad when I see pupils not concentrating in school. I talk to them because they don’t know what it’s like to be an orphan...I usually get A+. My goal in life is never to look back, never give up, look to the future and strive hard to achieve the positive side of life. I believe I can achieve my ambition with your help. 

My mother’s last words were “work hard and promise me you will have a bright future,” then she smiled and died.  I cried and I was in a lot of pain and I still am. With your help, I will really be concentrating on my work so that my parents, guardian and you my sponsors will be proud of me. Please help me achieve my ambition and save a life."

Purity graduated with a Distinction, however she could not proceed on to University. She wrote to the Education Fund begging for help. She missed her entry into the national university and nearly lost hope until Madrinha Trust decided to take her on as mentee. This now means that Purity has a mentor in addition to the financial support offered by Madrinha Trust.

Purity’s dream was to become a doctor, and she is on the path to becoming one.

A huge thank you to all our supporters for helping Purity achieve her dream.

Please help us support more girls around the Commonwealth.  On average, £300 is enough to support a girl in school for one year in some developing countries.