Catherine is 23 years old and in her final year pursuing a diploma in early childhood development at YMCA. She shares about her aspirations in life, life before COVID-19 and what life is like now after schools were reopened.

Who do you live with?

I stay with my father, mother and 5 of my siblings.

How does Hope for Life support your education?

HFL pays my schools fees for the course I am doing.

Why did you decide to study early childhood development and not something else?

I love children.

What was life like for you before COVID-19?

Life was good—at home we were able to afford whatever we needed like food and I could afford to buy the school requirements.

So, with the arrival of COVID-19, what changed?

My mother’s business (of selling banana peelings) was slow because public transport was greatly restricted during the lockdown. And because business was slow, we had to be very economical at home limiting expenditure to only basic needs. We had to forego spending on things like new clothes.

How did you feel living through the times of the COVID-19 lockdown?

I felt bad because life was not as merry as it was before the lockdown. What hurt me the most was not being able to go to school because the schools were closed. By now I would have been done with school but that did not happen. I now have to wait until next year to complete my diploma.

Are you saying you did not do anything related to school during the lockdown?

Not really. I tried reading in the early days of the lockdown. But after about 2 months I lost hope and stopped reading.

Anything else you were doing during the lockdown?

I started attending tailoring classes.

So, are you now a professional tailor?

No. I haven’t completed all my lessons but I hope to resume once I get the timetable for school (which starts this month) and see when I can have free time to go for the tailoring classes.

Are you confident you will achieve your dreams despite the disruptions that came with COVID-19?

Yes.

What gives you the confidence?

I love what I do and I perform well at school, usually scoring above 70% in all my exams.

Has COVID-19 in anyway changed the way you see life today?

Yes, it has. One lesson I picked from the COVID-19 lockdown is the need to save money for unforeseen situations.

Are you saying you never saved any money before COVID-19?

No, I did. But I wasn’t as faithful and serious about it. I am part of a savings group where I make a weekly contribution to the group.

What are your plans after your studies?

I hope to find work as a part time teacher in a nursery school and also go back to school and upgrade my education.

When you go back to school after your diploma, what do you want to study?

I want to specialise in how to teach and take care of children with special needs.

What is your dream in life?

I want to start and own a nursery school.