Esther
Esther,
a 39-year-old mother and grandmother, wakes up at 5:30am each morning. “I carry
the bucket to the pump. If you cannot carry the bucket soon, you will not get water!” she shares with wide eyes that
giving the impression that this lady has had to deal with a dry pump on more
than one occasion, and doesn’t plan on letting it happen again.
Esther
prepares food for her family and sends her children off to school. Then, she sometimes
goes to the market to buy food for her family or her bucket. She runs a micro
business from her head---she sells pepper, spices, candies, ground pea candy (peanut
brittle), and other treats out of a plastic bucket she carries allover the
community.
At
Amani, Esther cuts cloth or learns to sew. She has only been at Amani for about
a month but already feels intense community amongst her coworkers. “We are here
together, friendly...if I am not here, I am missing these people,” she says,
looking about the room.
After
work, Esther often goes to night school, where she is currently completing 9th
grade. Her favorite part about school is reading “They got some good stories in
it!” she says of her school books, then rattles off the plot of a story she is
reading this week about some farmers with a car---“their own car!”---she
exclaims.
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| Esther |
Regina
Regina,
33, wakes up at 4am each day. She makes breakfast for her family and walks “a
looong time” to gather clean water. She bathes her 3 children and sends them
off to school.
“Then
I will go to the market to buy food, then I dress, and come to work.”
Regina usually cutes cloth, but is a highly capable seamstress who
is rapidly learning to master new products each day, which she lists on her
fingers with satisfaction: “I make
hot pad, coaster, belt, napkins, and placemat.”
In
addition to developing lifelong sewing skills each day, Regina is earning income
for her family. “I love Amani---Amani is helping me, I am getting money to send
my children to school. I want for Amani to continue so I get work to do every
day.
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| Regina |
Yei
Yei,
20, wakes up at 4am, “and I work on small-small things” like cooking and cleaning.
She baths her children and cooks. After arriving at Amani,
she begins to produce a variety of products. One of the most complicated pieces
Yei makes is what she calls teddy bears, a blanket term used here for stuffed
animals (Amani’s “teddy bear” is actually an elephant backpack for children).
“I
learned to sew at Amani. I also have a machine at home, and I make skirts.” Yei
says.
Yei
is very thankful for her job at Amani, which has come to prove essential to her
young son’s future. When asked where her bi-monthly paycheck goes, she explains
with an air of gentle determination. “I will do good things with it, like pay
for my child’s school.”
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| Yei |
Darlene
Darlene,
27, wakes up at 5:30am each day. “I clean my room, I put hot water on, bathe my
daughter and find breakfast for her, then send her to school.
“After
that, I will get ready, and put my market down (sets it up).” Her market stall
sells cosmetics, shoes, clothing, and other odds and ends.
Darlene’s
family has adjusted to every curve ball life has thrown at them. Her mother was
unable to care for her two little sisters, so both live with Darlene and her
husband. When Darlene comes to Amani, one sister tends to her market stall
while the other goes to school. In the afternoon, the two trade places.
Darlene
started her market stall with a $100 loan from Amani Liberia over a year ago,
which she promptly paid back and has now increased ten-fold. She has plans to
expand into an appliance shop soon.
Clearly, Darlene is already a savvy businesswoman, and has the
perfect skill set to train as the manager for Amani Liberia’s Café, which is
currently under construction. Darlene is learning many useful tasks at Amani, further
broadening her already considerable resume. Some
tasks are easier, like cutting, but some are challenging. “Working here
requires learning,” says Darlene. She seems happy to
meet the challenge.
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| Darlene |
To see Ophelia, Felicia, and Theresa's stories, click here.
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