Size 8: A powerful success story against all odds

Size 8 is one of the most popular celebrities in Kenya. She has seen her career grow from her days as a secular singer with a middling career until her eventual shift and turn towards not just gospel but to God as her personal Lord and saviour.

We have now seen her transition into being a pastor and evangelist and things seem like they worked out perfectly for her all throughout life but what most people forget or do not even know is that Size 8 actually came from the trenches.

She is a real honest to goodness rags to riches story. She is someone who has seen the very bottom of what society has to offer at Dr. Livingstone Primary School and then rubbed shoulders with the absolute best of what society has to share with a select few.

What do I mean? I am glad you asked. Did you know that Size 8 whose government names are Linet Munyali Muraya was at some point such a struggling student that when she started to undergo the changes of puberty, she couldn’t afford to buy for herself any sanitary towels? Let that sink in. This is a struggle that one would only associate with children growing up far from the city’s capital. These are bundu bashing problems.

And these are the sort of situations that make it harder for young girls to perform well in school. Why? Because whenever they are menstruating, they have to skip school or feel self-conscious. Size 8 knows this challenge all too well.

Then she -by some divine fate- found her way into one of the highest cost schools in Kenya, Hillcrest, on a scholarship. Can you imagine what it is like to go from being in a struggling school, moving on to State House Girls (on a scholarship) and then finally Hillcrest? A school where one of your classmates gets dropped by chopper?!

That is what makes Size 8’s story a truly beautiful one. She found a way to not only make things through with the biting lack of finances but also had to keep her head and wits about her when she began studying with the children of some of the wealthiest individuals in Kenya.

All this to say that as a parent, you need to ensure you have done everything within your power to give your children an advantage. Do not allow your child to go a day without sanitary accoutrement. And how can you make sure your child has the allowance they need to deal with emergencies and the little things they need while they are in school?

Not every child who experienced Size 8’s journey and struggles was fortunate to make it out by being brilliant enough to win scholarships. Not every child needs to experience the sort of difficulties that are created by having to worry about an allowance -no matter how small.

You would be best advised to afford your child every advantage to set them off on the right footing in life. Let them learn to get comfortable with some level of independence that comes from knowing they have their full allowance and are free to do with it as they see fit but there are consequences. Allow them the opportunity to learn some of these consequences in a safe environment before misteps take on scary ramifications.

That is where Co-op Bank comes in to help you. They can partner with you in one of the most convenient ways ever and you can also use this opportunity to teach your children about budgeting and expense tracking. How this works is that you load up your child’s pocket money to their Co-op Bank Pre-paid.

What are the benefits of a Co-op Bank Prepaid card?

• No need for your child to carry loads of pocket money as they head to school, you can simply load it in the Co-op Prepaid card which is safer than carrying cash.
• The student will be able to pay for items at their school canteens at No Extra cost.
• Parents will be able to track their students sending by getting a Mini statement of the card at a Co-op Kwa Jirani agent or via SMS alerts.
• You no longer need to travel all the way to the school to hand over money to your child, you can simply load the card at any Co-op Kwa Jirani agent.
• The students are also able to withdraw money using the card from any Co-op ATMs or Co-op Kwa Jirani agents outside school.
• You don’t need an account with Co-op Bank to enjoy the benefits of the card.
• No extra charges will be incurred in transactions using the card.

Click here to find out more.