Jocelyne was born into a family of seven children, with four sisters and two brothers. Her father abandoned them when she was 8 years old, and she has since lived wither her mother, who raises her children along while working in the fields. Despite this background, which might otherwise limit a young Congolese girl’s chances of success, she found hope first at our community center and then at Malaika School.
Now, Jocelyne is in the 8th grade and describes herself as “full of dreams.”
“The biggest opportunity Malaika has given me is to have access to quality education, but free of charge. Because from the moment I started my education, my whole life has changed. I knew how to erase the childhood wounds of the abandonment of my father, I found a family as large with kind people who accommodated me in their hearts like their own daughter,” she says.
“Today I am fulfilled, I have dreams as well as ambitions for the future, something that many of my friends did not have for lack of this opportunity that I had.” We’re so grateful to Jocelyne for sharing her story, which inspires us to reach more people who need support.