Kadiatu’s Dream: Breaking the Cycle in Monkey Bush

In the heart of Monkey Bush, Sierra Leone, a 12-year-old girl named Kadiatu is waiting. She has been waiting for 249 days for someone to step into her story.

Kadiatu lives with her grandmother and three siblings in a community where the weight of poverty is felt every single day. To keep the family afloat, her grandmother sells charcoal, but the meager earnings are rarely enough to cover their basic needs. For Kadiatu, this reality means that “daily bread” is a literal prayer, and a desk in a classroom is a luxury she often goes without.

The Hidden Cost of Being a Girl

In Sierra Leone, the barriers to education are steep, especially for girls entering their teenage years. When families struggle to provide more than one meal a day, the cost of school fees becomes an impossible hurdle. Often, if a family can scrape together enough for one child to attend, they choose their sons, leaving girls like Kadiatu at home.

Left without the supervision of a school environment or the promise of an education, young girls become incredibly vulnerable. Without a path forward, many are forced into early marriage or face the risks of teenage pregnancy simply as a means of survival.

But Kadiatu refuses to let her circumstances define her future. Kadiatu’s favorite subject is math. When asked about her future, her eyes light up because she wants to be a nurse. She wants to be someone who brings hope to a community that has seen so much hardship. She isn’t asking for a handout. She is asking for someone to step into her life and give her the chance to have an education. 

Hope in Motion

The 25 Project believes that every child is known and loved by God. For Kadiatu, hope looks like a sponsor stepping in to provide the $78 a month needed to secure her education, consistent and daily food, and her safety.

Sponsorship is more than just a financial transaction. Sponsorship is an investment in a child’s life that ripples through her entire community. It is the tool that completely changes a 12-year-old girl’s life.

Will you be the one to answer Kadiatu’s prayer?