By: Jeanette Green
Small and mighty, Kowiya knows what she wants and, maybe even more importantly, WHY she wants it – greatness and doing good. The only one attending school from her family of 6, she walks 1 hour and 30 minutes to sit in her classroom and learn! She loves studying English (with hopes of visiting the United States of America one day), the color yellow (because it is bright and beautiful), and she sure loves a fried potato and egg. But this cheerful 10 year old isn’t just a beautiful smile. You can see her determination as she poses for a picture – her hand on her hip, she knows what she wants and no one is stopping her.
When asked why she attends school, she declares it’s so she will be a “great person in the future.” Greatness is more than what we do, it’s who we become, and Kowiya knows it. She understands that education has a transformative power and she’s already harnessing that. Raised in a family with a strong work ethic, her parents find great value in working and finishing the job successfully. According to Kowiya, her father is a baker and her mother is a fashion designer. Both of these jobs take a lot of stalwart dedication. They are proud of what they are able to do for their family. Work is essential. Kowiya states, though, that with the new classroom Coafria built, her parents are much more invested in her education. “My parents are very happy and they are really interested more in everything that pertains to my studies.” What a blessing and gift to be united by a common goal, and to share the long term vision of what an education can provide! Her classroom, which she says allows for better structure and learning, is the starting point for the greatness she seeks and we love that her parents see that too. Kowiya plans to be a nurse so she can help those who are sick. She has many school years ahead and we are cheering her on – in all she does, and in every good thing she becomes!
