Support for Sarita's Education (15 years old)

Hello, my name is Grace, and I am 15 years old. I am raising money to help my 15-year-old cousin, Sarita, receive an education in Colombia, South America.

When I visited Colombia in August 2023, I met Sarita for the first time and was shocked to see the difficult conditions she was living in and the lack of education she was facing. Sarita, like many children in Colombia, has struggled to receive an education due to poverty especially following severe droughts and facing steep price inflation. She has been working as a coffee picker in rural Colombia near a town called San José de Isnos in Huila.

For over 6 years, Sarita has worked in the coffee fields around her house, helping with the crops and doing domestic labour to support her family who struggle to make ends meet. The working conditions on the farm were harsh and humid, and she was unable to attend school.

Sarita is eager to start her education, but her family needs assistance as they have struggled to provide her with one. She lives in an isolated community around 10 miles from any town, and her family has no car, stable internet, computer or access to public transport.

When I discussed the idea of fundraising for her education with Sarita, she was thrilled and ready to start classes right away. I noticed that she excelled at arithmetic and quickly learned new concepts when I taught her. It saddened me to think that I wouldn't be able to continue teaching her when we returned to England. This made me realise how fortunate children in the UK are to have access to free education.

My goal is to raise money for Sarita to cover her transport, hygiene products, school uniform and stationery needed for her academic course. We have found a course that accepts children over 15, starting in January 2025, which will provide her with the education she needs to make her own decisions about her future.

I have started this platform to help raise money for Sarita, so she can begin her journey in education. I hope that one day she will have the education she needs to support herself and her family.

Every child deserves an education; it's a human right. Thank you for helping me make Sarita's dream possible.