Janet Omondi is 16 years old and studies at Humwend Secondary School in Ukwala, Kenya. Each day Janet walks for an hour and a half to get to school, but she thinks it’s worth it. She loves learning English and History. She is involved with the HIV stigmatization group in her community and she is a huge help to her family around the house. After she finishes school, Janet would like to be either a doctor or an author. She would like to improve her community by teaching people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

About the School

Humwend Secondary School is a community-run school situated in Ukwala. Here, 57 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, and 24 per cent lives with the highly stigmatized human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Fifty students attend the school, 95 per cent of which are partial or complete orphans.

The cost of operating Humwend Secondary School for an entire year is approximately $21,000 USD. Unlike primary education in Kenya, the cost of tuition in secondary school is significantly higher and makes up the majority of school costs.