Racheal is one of the young girls we met in Awoyaya, a community where Racheal and Teens Foundation has been carrying out outreach activities since 2024.
I first met Racheal last year during our mobilisation for one of our outreaches. Someone told me about her and mentioned that she really wanted to return to school but had been unable to because there was no one to support her.
Racheal lives with her grandmother, so I decided to speak with her myself.
When I asked why she was no longer in school, she told me that she had been out of school for over five years. Although she had completed primary school, she had not been able to continue to secondary school because her family could not afford it.
I asked her if she had considered learning a skill instead. We could have helped her find a place within the community where she could learn something that would help her become financially independent.
But Racheal had a different answer.
She wanted to go back to school.
She explained that she had plans for her future, and the future she envisioned for herself required education. She knew what she wanted, and she was determined to pursue it.
That determination meant a lot to us.
I also spoke with her grandmother, who confirmed that Racheal had always wanted to continue her education but simply did not have the support to do so.
So, the following day, we went to a school to make enquiries.
We paid her registration fees and provided the things she needed to resume school: school uniforms, sandals, books, pens, a mathematical set and other essential school supplies.
We also began supporting her with transportation to and from school and feeding during the school week.
Today, Racheal is back in school.
She is also resuming for another term, and we are grateful that the things she needs to continue her education have already been provided.
More Than Going Back to School
For us, Racheal’s story is about more than school fees or school supplies.
It is about giving a young person the opportunity to pursue a dream that could easily have been lost because of circumstances beyond her control.
Racheal had been out of school for years, but she never stopped wanting to learn. She never stopped thinking about her future.
Sometimes, what a young person needs is not someone to tell them what to do. Sometimes, they simply need someone to listen, believe in them and provide the support that makes their dream possible.
We are grateful to God for allowing Racheal and Teens Foundation to be part of Racheal’s journey.
And this is only the beginning.
There are many more teenagers in underserved communities who have dreams, abilities and hopes for their future but lack the support they need to pursue them.
Through our education support and scholarship initiatives, we hope to reach more of them—one teenager, one dream and one opportunity at a time.
Racheal’s story reminds us that sometimes, changing a life begins with simply saying, “Yes, we can help.”