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Kadiatu Junisa  à

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Kadiatu lives in the village of Jokibu, the youngest of eight children in her family. Her father is Junisa Gbewa and her mother is Kadi Gbewa.  Children in Sierra Leone use their father’s first name as their family name (last name).  Kadiatu’s father has two other wives, and this is not uncommon for Muslims in Africa.  Farm families need lots of help to grow food so more wives and children mean more help on the farm.

          Kadiatu is the only child in her family attending school.  Her older brothers and sisters are already married (girls get married at age 15) and have children.  Once you have children, you must work hard on the farm to grow food for them, leaving little time for education.

          Kadiatu’s favorite part of school is learning to read.  She loves to read, but she does not have any books of her own.  She first completed primary school in Jokibu, which is free, and now attends junior high thanks to an SLPP scholarship of $30.  Her junior high school is in Bunumbu, a 3 mile, 45-minute walk she makes each day to and from school.

          Sadly, Kadiatu’s mother died in 1996 during the civil war in Sierra Leone.  Her mother was pregnant when rebels attacked the village.  She ran away to hide in the rain forest, but soon became ill and died from a fever.

          Kadiatu’s dream is to stay in school, learn to read and write and become a nurse.  If she can stay in school, she can delay getting married until she is older.  Once she is a nurse, she would like to get married and have two children.  Attending school is a great gift, and she is very grateful for the scholarship.

Name:      Kadiatu Junisa

Age:         15 Years

Grade:     7^th

School:    Methodist Secondary School

Location: Bunumbu

                (3 miles from home)