By Annette Scarpitta | Project Leader
Some of you may be wondering about our follow-up to the report posted back in April of this year, “Giggle to Giggle, Little by Little.” We wondered who the giggling woman in a photo with her literacy class colleagues could be. Now, at last, we can tell you the name of this 23-year-old who appears so exhuberant in our earlier photos: Adeline. Here is her autobiographical interview, translated from Swahili and French:
Q: Adeline, please tell us about your life.
A: "I was born in Rwenena to a family in which our parents could not afford to pay school fees for me. I did not attend any classes. I spent all my time looking for food in the field with my mother. At the age of 18, I became pregnant by a young man from a neighboring village. He denied responsibility for my pregnancy, so I had to stay at home until the birth of my son. Throughout this time, I left every day for the field in hopes of earning enough money to get the things I needed for my son and for my maternity needs. Three years later, the same man who fathered my first child got me pregnant again. He returned to his home in yet another village, where he fathered another child with another woman, again taking no responsibility as a father. Currently my children and I are living with my parents. I still go to the field every day to get food."
For years, we have encouraged our schoolkids' parents to pay all costs for their children's education. Many do so with difficulty yet with pride.
Q: Are your children enrolled in our program, which pays for tuition, uniforms, shoes, and supplies?
A: No, my children are not in the program because I am the one paying for my son's education. My daughter has not yet reached school age.
Our big question: Why were you laughing in the class photo (shown again, below)?
A: That day at the opening of our training, I was very happy to be among the selected women. To qualify as a student in Rwenena's permaculture and livestock program (implemented by a SAFECO affiliate), it is required that we complete this literacy and human rights training. So my joy was great, and I expressed it with laughter. Even today, on the last day of our literacy training, I remain very happy.
Finally, Adeline thanks donors like you:
I take this opportunity to say thank you for everything you do for us. Our class instructor, Dogo, teaches us with great love and affection for us and our village. We also love the great lady Moza, of SAFECO. She makes sacrifices every month to travel a long distance to check on our progress. And she gives us women strength, for we are the bravest generation yet.
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