I’m Patricia, 19 years old, living in Laini saba, Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa.
In our family, we are three girls, and my sisters had two kids at an early age. Our single mom is old and cannot work for people, so in searching for food to support her, I got pregnant at 17. When I found out, I felt confused and lonely. I had to drop out of school due to the pregnancy. My mom was furious at me, my sisters were not supportive, and I had no friends by my side then. My boyfriend refused the pregnancy, and because of that, we didn’t have any other means of getting food. He declined to provide for the kid.
Despite my struggles, I decided to step up for my family and returned to school. I want to do catering in the future since I love cooking. I want to give my son a bright future and a better life than mine.