Dreams Of A Better FUTUREI

In spiteit of f Eb Ebolal and d now Covid, Mary’s Meals brings hope to children in Liberia

Deddeh wakes up at 5am to do chores around her home in a quiet rural community in Bong County, Liberia.

She collects water from the well down the hill, before washing dishes and then bathing herself from a bucket. Before her school day starts, she heads to her school where she helps her mother sweep the classrooms and yard for a couple of hours.

Quietly spoken but articulate and engaging, Deddeh is one of the first people in her family to go to school. She and her mother, who works daily at her school as a cleaner to cover the fees, both attribute great value to receiving an education.

Deddeh’s favourite subjects at Musu Valentine School are English and science. In the

Ifuture, she wants to be a nurse to help others by saving lives. She also has a vision for a better Liberia and believes her education will enable her to help her country.

She says, “I like school because it teaches me how to live a good life, in order to help my parents and Liberians.

“My mother didn’t go to school because people said education wasn’t good for girls. In those days people didn’t know that girls could be someone in government in this country.

“All humans have equal rights. Everyone [boys and girls] need to be treated the same way and to learn the same things.

“Some people I see today, through education, have become big people in the government, helping others. want to be a nurse to help other o people.”

“The pandemic is hard as fewer people have bought the food we grow”

Deddeh clearly loves school s and has come second iin her class for two years rrunning, scoring highly in her ssubjects. Her mother Nyamah (46) is immensely proud of her.

The young girl’s parents sseparated four years ago.

SShe has five siblings, some oof whom are living with an aaunt in the nearby town oof Gbarnga.

Deddeh lives with her

Meals is hugely important. Deddeh says it gives her the strength to learn in class.

“Mary’s Meals is helping us as students. Mary’s Meals give us more stamina to sit in class,” she explains.

“Without Mary’s Meals, I would sometimes go hungry with no food to eat. Some days we go without food.”

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Mary’s Meals has and the parents. Sometimes there’s no food at home.

“It’s a big thing, what Mary’s Meals is doing. It encourages children to go to school.”

She added, “I want Deddeh to learn and I feel happy she is doing great in school. When I found out Deddeh had scored highly in school, I danced!

“I want Deddeh’s life to be good in the future.”