Sr. Rose Wangui Kuria, VHM

Sister Rose Wangui, a nun of the Order of the Visitation of the Holy Mary, grew up in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya.  Poor, like everyone around her, Sr. Rose endured hardship and hunger throughout her youth.  Sr. Rose describes her life growing up in Kenya in the 1970’s:

“I woke up very early in the morning. We did not have much water, so we washed our face in the morning and our feet at night … if there was any food left over I would pack it up for us to carry to school. We would run seven miles to school and arrive there before 7:30 am … I would come home around 5:00 pm and go for water. Then I would get into doing housework, cooking and washing dishes after school. On my legs, I have so many scars because I got so many cuts while cutting firewood or working in the garden. Because of carrying big loads of firewood and water containers, the doctor says I have a ‘caved back’. Despite all this, I count myself blessed because among the many girls in my age group, in both villages in which I lived, it was only me who went to high school. Even now at the dawn of the 21st century women and girls in my village and in all rural areas of Kenya, continue to carry the same burdens, constant harassment from male and boys and have no time to study. As a result many get pregnant and drop out. The only good that can happen for these girls is to offer them an education.”