A Bleak Future Then, Now Shining So Bright

Not long ago, the future looked bleak for Iman Ayisha. A young herdsgirl caring for her family’s livestock, she would watch other children walking to school and wonder — with more doubt than hope — whether that life could ever be hers. Her family saw little value in education.

That changed when PACIDA’s school-enrolment drives reached her village. “I am very indebted to PACIDA for having conducted the schools enrollment drives,” Iman says, crediting the campaign as the turning point that persuaded her parents to enrol her at Kalacha Nomadic Girls’ School in Marsabit County.

Removing the barriers that keep girls out of school

Enrolment was only the beginning. To keep pastoral girls learning, PACIDA provided food assistance during drought periods, bedding, and sanitary supplies — practical support that removes the everyday barriers that so often push girls out of the classroom.

Top of her class

Since joining school, Iman has consistently topped her class and become a model of discipline, says her headteacher, Mr. Sora. Her success has convinced her parents to keep her in school, and during breaks she now mentors her younger siblings. She is determined to pursue medicine and higher education.

Iman’s story shows how holistic support — enrolment advocacy, nutrition, and menstrual-health resources together — lets pastoral girls access quality education and imagine professional futures once thought impossible.