Perez Atieno O.
St Al’s Graduation Class of 2009
This is the School of Hope!
“Through Gods grace my prayers were heard and I was accepted at St Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School,” says Perez Atieno O., a grateful fourth year student. “If I didn’t get to go to St. Al’s then my future would have been much worse. I might have been married by now.” Her gratitude is evident in every word as she describes her experience at St Al’s.
Perez is a seventeen year old student who has big dreams of becoming a medical doctor, a constitutional lawyer, a journalist or possibly President of Kenya some day. She is of the same tribe as Barack Obama’s father so she believes that anything is possible! Meanwhile she enjoys Biology, Chemistry, English, Math, French and History. She proudly declares that she is a natural journalist because she likes to read novels and has a keen ear to keep up on the local gossip! She has a reputation among her classmates as being a confident independent thinker. She is a role model to others by being respectful, friendly and self-assured.
She is the fourth of five children whose father died of AIDS when she was a baby. She was raised by her HIV positive mother who sells fruits on the shores of Lake Victoria. Perez did well in primary school and desperately wanted to continue her education but the family could not afford it. “My mother could not afford paying school fees for me since we would sometimes go for two days without food.” Her oldest sister, Marilyn, 31, was living in the Kibera slum with her own family and immediately thought of her baby sister when she heard of this new school opportunity. As she said, her “prayers were heard” when Marilyn agreed to host Perez in her home and to be her guardian. Having a family affected by AIDS she qualified to fulfill her ambitions at St Al’s. In return Perez helps with the domestic chores and takes care of her four nieces and nephews. She awakes at 4 am each day and even works with her sister selling fish on the weekends. The one room home is crowded but they figure the investment in Perez’ education is worth it.
“The students here put more effort into their learning and make use of whatever resources they have available.” She notes that St Al’s students are very serious and determined in school. The students arrive early and vigorously prepare themselves for their classes. She mentions that the school provides notebooks for students which, in the slum, are valuable resources for better learning.
As she describes her experiences at St Al’s, she often refers to her faith-filled gratitude toward God. She is active at the local Catholic Church and helps organize the school liturgies and sings in the choir.
“This is the school of hope! The teachers at St Al’s really care for us and they give us hope for a better future.” Despite the poverty of the slum, the school community is finding its power in uniting together as one supportive family. Perez mentions how she hopes to be able to give back to the Kibera community some day. She mentions her desire to somehow protect the rights and freedoms of the poor and disadvantaged people around her.
“I am grateful to our benefactors who help these orphans to have this important opportunity to learn so that we can someday serve the people this country that we love.”
~ by Fr. Jim Collins, SJ
To learn more about and support St. Al’s, please visit the website http://www.sagnairobi.org/ or call 1-800-922-5327 at the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus - http://www.jesuits-chi.org/
