Zahra is an creative and bright eight-year-old girl who lives in a hillside neighborhood in city of Jérémie. She lives with her mother and her little sister in a small rented house that they share with several other people. The crowded living conditions and limited income make daily life challenging. Her mother is trained as an elementary school teacher, but she doesn’t have steady work. Zahra’s father and older sibling are currently in Port-au-Prince, where he is searching for employment. With the family separated and resources stretched thin, they are struggling just to provide for their family’s basic needs.
She is in the third grade and loves going to school. She especially likes history, and she enjoys learning about the story of Haiti; however, her parents did not have enough money to pay her tuition payments, so she was on the verge of dropping out. Now, through her sponsorship, she will be able to stay in school, and she will have all the materials she needs. When she isn’t in school, Zahra enjoys dancing and spending time with her younger sister.
