Once described as the saddest child, she’s now happy and proud to be In School

Do you know where Posseh Kamara celebrated her 15th birthday?  

If you guessed “in school,” you’d be correct! 

This is a big deal because Posseh spent most of her birthdays wishing she could be in school. 

Through the unwavering dedication of family and support from people like you — who believe all girls should be able to go to school — Posseh’s story is a testament to resilience, hope and the power of collective action. 

A childhood marked by loss and hardship  

Posseh’s childhood was marked by profound loss. Orphaned at just 5 years old, she spent the next seven years in a rural village in Sierra Leone’s Port Loko province, living with her siblings under her grandmother’s care. Their life — and survival — revolved around tending to the family’s small farm. School could not be a priority. 

“In the village, you cannot go to schools … always work on the farm,” Posseh recalls.  

When Posseh was 12, her grandmother passed away. This event — while a great loss for Posseh — became a defining moment, because Posseh would now live with her aunt Mamata, herself no stranger to adversity. Mamata lived closer to town, which meant one critical thing for Posseh’s future — access to education.  

Mamata saw her niece’s potential and was determined to ensure Posseh would not be bound by the same limitations she once faced.  

“…if I leave her in the village, her education will not be … I have to bring her to this town so that she can further her education,” Mamata explains.  

“It was just for our survival”  

Despite her aspirations for Posseh, Mamata’s family faced their own financial hardships and struggled to make ends meet.  

Desperation forced difficult choices. Mamata tearfully remembers asking Posseh to sell water in the streets, just to earn enough for basic meals.  

“It was just for our survival,” Mamata says.  

Mamata, Posseh and their family often couldn’t afford enough to eat, let alone school uniforms and supplies, so Posseh missed school frequently over the last three years. In fact, at 15 years old and still in primary school, she is several years behind in her education. 

Posseh’s stomach used to ache from hunger, making it nearly impossible to study and attend school. 

“If you don't have food … you cannot … study. When the stomach is aching, you [don’t] feel good,” she says. 

You brought In School to Posseh’s community 

Thanks to supportive people like you, who have helped our team continue to expand, we started operations in Posseh’s community in 2024. Our In School team quickly identified Posseh as at-risk of dropping out.  

Posseh and her family started receiving monthly cash assistance, and she is now attending school regularly — “five days a week!” she says proudly. 

The cash she receives covers the cost of a healthy breakfast and lunch every day. And for the first time, Posseh also has enough school supplies and a clean school uniform each day.