This week in Siaya, I sat with students whose lives taught me something no textbook ever could: a grade is never just a grade.
What does a C- really mean? In many schools, it signals a struggling student. But here in rural Kenya, a C- can mean something entirely different. It can mean a young person who is both a caregiver and a student, a survivor and a dreamer—all at once.
One young girl I met lives alone with her two younger siblings. Each day after school, she collects firewood on her walk home, cooks dinner, and makes sure her siblings are safe. Only then does she attempt to study—without kerosene, in total darkness.
Her mean grade? A C-. On paper, that looks like failure. In real life, it looks like unshakable courage.
Another student, just 16, helps her mother sell chang’aa (moonshine). The men demand she taste it first to prove it isn’t poisoned. By the time she finishes serving, she is often intoxicated. She has endured abuse no teenager should ever face. And still—she shows up to school. She is only in Form 2 (sophomore year).
When I began our program, I was determined to set high standards. We told students they must keep a mean grade of C+ to stay in the program. It sounded fair. But then I began to listen—to sit with these students, hear their stories, and see their battles up close.
And what I realized is this: these young people are not underperforming. They are carrying burdens heavier than most adults ever will. They are cooking meals, caring for siblings, fighting for safety, and somehow still pressing forward with their education.
In Siaya, every grade is more than a letter. A C-, a D, even an E, is a testimony of determination. A report card here is not simply academic—it’s a record of survival.
So I’ve chosen not to dismiss students for “poor performance,” but to understand them, walk with them, and give them hope. Because in Siaya, the true measure of success is not just a grade—it is the grit to keep going when life says stop.
And that is why we do this work.
If this touched your heart and you’d like to be part of changing the life of a student in Kenya, reach out to me at domondi@gmail.com. One step of support can open a whole new future for a young person.