By Steve M. Dore, Mrg. Africa & Joyce Latson, Founder | Office Manager/Project Manager, Guinea, W. Africa
WE ARE HERE ! YOUNG GIRLS MAKE THEIR MARK IN EDUCATION EXCELLENCE
Femme Aide Femme Guinea (FAF)
Presents you the story and the testimony of Marie one of the 22 children sponsored by WHW / FAF for the 2019 - 2020 school year
Age 16years
Class 9th grade
In Guinea Conakry, in West Africa, the school year started in October 2019 and if there is one person who is also happy, it is Marie
Marie is a 16 year old pupil in the 9th grade
Her story is very moving, she comes from a family whose father is polygamous, he alone has three (3) women and fifteen (15) children ; Marie’s mother is the first wife with nine (9) children of which Marie is the seventh. Marie has four brothers and four sisters, but none of them was able to continue their studies due to lack of financial means. Marie’s father had to flee the village to come to Conakry, the economic and political capital of Guinea, because he was categorically opposed to his family who wanted Marie and her sisters to be circumcised. He found himself in Conakry with his wives and children without any means that could allow him to send his children to school. So Mary and her brothers were left to their own devices. Marie’s mother was the one who looked after her children through her small fruit business which enabled Marie and one of her four brothers to go to school. Unfortunately suffering from breast cancer, Marie’s mother saw one of her breasts cut due to this disease. Marie and her brother found themselves at home once again, but Marie expressed her desire to return to school by taking lessons given by a volunteer in the neighborhood where Marie lived. The life of this ambitious young girl is nothing less than a miracle. Now she has teachers, mentors and women helping the women on her team, helping to secure her bright future. The following is from Marie in her own words about her experience with Women Helping Women.
"Without the help of Women Helping Women, I would not have returned to school, and I fear it, because if this help stops, I will not go to school because I have no one to help pay for my studies. Marie tells us that "With the help of Women HelpingWomen, I realize that God had not abandoned me and that hope is still possible for me. Today, I hope to study and become a lawyer later. What I would like the most is to become a lawyer and to defend the rights of children, because children have the right to education, the right to medical care, the right to development. "She affirms with this glimmer of hope and confidence in her eyes, and that smile that never leaves her. She ends by saying : “I have no words to express my gratitude to Women Helping Women whom I thank. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love you give me.
On behalf of the twenty-two children you are educating who have received tuition, bookbags and school supplies, we join them in presenting our gratitude and thanks.
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