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Meet Our Students
They love learning and deserve an education. You can help them stay in school.
By offering free tuition, food, medical care and schoolbooks, Bright Light Academy supports Rusinga families in seeing their children have an education. Each year, Bright Light enrolls its youngest students into the Early Child Development Program. Our recruitment process is designed to ensure we reach those who need assistance the most.
Nsnanzo Achieng
NSNANZO is in the third grade and lives with her family on the beach. Her mother supports the children by fishing every day. Nsnanzo is particularly interested in protecting the environment and Kenya’s animals in the wildlife sanctuaries. She has an open mind and is very curious about the world outside of Rusinga. She would like to learn how to grow food sustainably and help her family to feed themselves.
Merciful Gift
MERCIFUL is the oldest in a family of four children. Their mother is the sole support and works at the lake scaling fish and repairing nets. Merciful is an excellent student whose favorite subjects are mathematics and English. She would like to be an accountant one day. She loves what she is learning in the Empowerment Class about girls having the same rights as boys. Her mother named her Merciful because she was a gift from God.
Stacy Achieng
STACY is 9 years old and lives with her grandmother, Magdalena, who must do odd jobs like cutting firewood or burning charcoal to sell as fuel. Stacy has a beautiful voice and sings in the school and church choirs. Her favorite subjects are English and Kiswahili and she hopes to become a teacher. She has great difficulty with her eyesight, necessitating special glasses to be able to see and study. For years, Bright Light CBO has provided the testing and glasses Stacy needs to continue with her studies.
We collaborate with Elders, Chiefs and local community leaders to identify families in need whose children are ready to begin an education. Many Rusinga children do not begin schooling because of poverty or traditional cultural and social barriers and may start school at an older age or often not at all. Our School Director, Martin Otieno, conducts home visits to speak with parents and meet their children. He clearly informs parents of what Bright Light expects from them as providers of positive emotional guidance and a stable home environment.
Samuel Ochieng
SAMUEL is the second born in a family of five children. His often helps his father doing odd jobs such as cleaning and grazing animals. He walks a very long distance to school by himself every day. He loves being the team captain when they play football in the schoolyard, using leadership skills he learns at Bright Light. He is outgoing and makes friends easily. His favorite days are when the nurses visit, and has decided he would like to be a doctor and manage a health care facility when he grows up.
Kevin Omondi
KEVIN is 8 years old and his family lived in Rusinga for over 25 years. The income the father can provide by fishing is small, so his mother helps provide security for Kevin and his three siblings by working at home. Kevin has an affinity for languages and is already fluent in English, Luo and Kiswahili. He began his studies at Bright Light in the first Pre-primary class of 2019 when he was 3 years old. His favorite subject is arts and crafts, and he plans to be an artist one day. His drawings are displayed in all the classrooms.
Dizuza Bweru
DIZUZA is 9 years old and lives with her grandmother because her parents passed away with HIV/AiDs. Her grandmother works as household help for different families. Dizuza learned how to read very early and loves magazines and storybooks. Although she is very talented in creative writing, she wants to study law so she can make positive changes in Kenya. She is cheerful, makes friends easily and motivated by what she is learning in the Empowerment class.