•Peninah is a thirteen-year-old girl from the Maasai tribe. She lives with her mother and her stepfather in a remote area of Suswa, Narok County, in Kenya. Peninah is the eldest child and has a younger brother and sister. Peninah’s mother, Sarah, is a victim of female genital mutilation and was forced to marry early. 

•Peninah’s stepfather is a drunkard who does not work or provide for the family, leaving Sarah as the sole provider trying to meet the family’s needs for food, rent, clothing, and other basic needs. Sarah depends on odd jobs for income, and occasionally the family must go days without food. Since Sarah cannot afford Peninahs education, her grandparents threatened to have her forcibly married to an elderly man and potentially undergo female genital mutilation, following her mother’s footsteps. 

•Peninah just passed her grade eight National examination and did very well but is in desperate need of education support to join high school.

•In her free time, Peninah loves singing and beading.