Before
Jerusha comes from a poor family and has five brothers and a sister. She is from the Maasai tribe in Kenya where tradition dictates that women should not be educated but stay at home and do chores. The few times she could attend the local primary school, she had to walk very long distances and then stay the whole day without food except for the cup of tea she sometimes had in the morning. When she got home after school, she had to walk another distance to fetch water and firewood. Life was hard, until she was selected for the 10th African Children’s Choir™.
After
Unlike so many girls from her village, Jerusha was able to attend classes at a special boarding school without the long walk to school. She now has a degree in Information Technology. She worked for a research company before deciding to tour as a chaperone with the 27th African Children’s Choir™ in 2006. Jerusha later joined the Music for Life office in Kenya as a permanent staff. “Because of the support I got from the Choir, I am now supporting my family. My brothers and sisters go to school, and so many other people, especially the women from the village, look up to me.”