World, meet Barbara Dieuseul. Barbara is a hardworking wife and mother of four who lives in the hills of Opisa, between a large market, called Fèyobyen, and the mountainous region, called Tit Montay.
Barbara wakes early each morning so that she can go out into the fields above her home and collect edible greens with the hopes of selling them at the market for somewhere between $1.25 and $2.50 per day. At this level of income, Barbara’s greatest concern for her family is putting food on the table, while education remains something of a dream for her children. Although it would cost only about $30 per year to put her children through school in Boukankare, the cost is simply too far out of her reach.
Barbara describes a feeling of despair at her inability to send her children to school, saying "when your children are crying at your feet, it breaks your heart… and [I would] like to help [my] children learn something, so they won't be humiliated down the road."
We’re proud to say that Barbara’s family, and many more like hers, will be among the first we are reaching at ESPEROS. We’d like to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who is helping lift this burden that's been weighing on Barbara and her family. We can’t wait to see the progress that follows!
Caroline Sprague
Author