Vallary is the third born in a family of eight. The father passed on many years ago when she was still young. Her mother is a cobbler in Ongata Rongai. The income that the mother gets from the business is hardly enough for food leave alone other basic needs. This makes it hard for the family to make ends meet in terms of paying rent, school fee and other basic needs.

Fadhili met the family in 2009 during one of the home-based care visits to patients living with chronic illnesses. The family was living in a single room house which was meant to be a land caretaker’s house as the owner of the land was not staying within. The room was tiny, very squeezed and could not fit them at night. This then meant the mother would have to share the bed with two girls, then the other two girls-who are twins would sleep under the bed, one brother, Brian on the couch and the two elder boys would sleep in the unfinished house that had no roof. During rainy seasons, they would cover their room with a polythene paper and sleep. They endured all these since they could not afford rent in a better house. A well-wisher came to their aid and rented a better place of three rooms for them. Later when the well-wishers were unable to pay due to financial constraints, Fadhili begun supporting them in paying the rent and school fee for the children.

 

Due to the challenges of food, shelter and other basic needs, Fadhili took Vallary and her four siblings to a government boarding primary school so that they could get regular meals, shelter as well as education. This move helped to relieve the mother a little bit. Meanwhile the eldest was also catered for in high school.

Vallary has been working hard in school despite the challenges at home. She was the best in the  national primary exam in her school (KCPE) having score 396 marks out of 500 marks in 2016. She was called to Limuru Girls High school which is a national government school based in Kiambu county where she finished her form four in 2021 April (would be 2020 if not for covid 19). She scored a B- in the final exams expecting to join university in September 2021 with hopes of improving their livelihoods.