Fifteen years is not a lot of life for the amount of tragedy that Mary Kamara Yanki Sesay has overcome in her short time on earth.
Growing up in extreme poverty, at 12 she believed it when a young boy told her he could take care of her, lightening the financial load for her parents. At 13, she became pregnant. She dropped out of school, raising her child alone. She made ends meet by foraging wood from the bush to sell.
Her mother died and her father remarried a kind woman named Yanki Sesay. Then her father died less than a year later. Yanki took in Mary, but resources are tight. Her greatest dream is for her children to receive an education. It is Mary’s dream too.
“Education is the key to success,” Mary says. “I love education. I bow my head and pray in the morning, because I don't have anyone to assist me to come back to school.”
Mary’s story is tragic, but in her country of Sierra Leone — where one-third of children leave school by age 12, and young girls are trapped in a cycle of hardship and missed opportunity — it is not uncommon.
A chance to learn
Mary’s prayers were answered. A woman named Ms. Wubay, upon learning Mary’s story, helped her to enroll in Munazamat Junior Secondary School.
Mary studies with fellow students.
She’s convinced her child’s grandparents to care for him while she focuses on her education but visits him often. When she has extra money, which is rare, she pays to sit in private school lessons, since the public school she attends is only in the morning. She often has no lunch, or all the materials she needs.
“I don't have anything, but I don't care about that,” Mary says. “I need education. Tomorrow will be better; I will say that I suffered for my education.”
Mary’s education is a great joy for her stepmother.
“When good things happen to Mary, it feels like planting a farm and reaping a bountiful harvest,” Yanki says.
Mary's dreams are growing — she hopes for her sisters to gain an education and to create a brighter future for Sierra Leones — but the harsh reality is that it will be an uphill climb.
Your compassion makes brighter futures possible
Fortunately, that road is getting a little easier. Through a Lutheran World Relief-supported program called Wi De Ya (“We Are Here”), schools in Sierra Leone are learning how to improve teacher and student attendance through technology and cash assistance, two of the largest barriers to education in the country.
While currently in 300 primary schools, the program aims to eventually expand to all 4,500 primary schools in the country. It’s already increasing both teacher and student attendance.
Although the solution is complex, education is a critical component to a brighter future for girls in Sierra Leone. For every additional year a girl can stay in school, her chances of getting pregnant drop by 6% — and her earning potential as an adult soars by 20%.
On average, educated girls are less likely to be abused or face discrimination, they marry later, are less likely to die in childbirth, they raise healthier children, and they earn more and contribute more to the economy.
Today, Mary says education is her top priority. “My book is my husband,” she says. “My education will make my future better. I will hold my book tightly with my right hand.”
Together, we’re breaking the cycle of poverty
The vicious cycle of poverty keeps families in its grip for so many reasons.
Hunger. Drought. War. Extreme weather. For our neighbors most in need, these factors often come in unison, like a horrific chorus of devastation. It will continue until someone takes action.
Positive disruptions create holistic solutions
Positive disruptions are strategic actions that create far reaching ripples that change lives today and into the future.
Through your support of Lutheran World Relief, you are a disruptor. You know the world’s problems require complex, holistic and localized solutions and hope for future generations.
This holistic approach includes our neighbors, who bring their experience, knowledge and vision. We walk alongside them rather than trying to lead.
Local partners and staff provide context, relevance and wisdom.
Together, we’re creating positive disruptions.
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