Every day that Aminata Kamara and her daughter Kadiatu spend in school is a miracle.
Aminata is 23 years old, but — like many women her age in Sierra Leone — she has experienced more than her fair share of hardship.
She was just a child when an older man forced himself on her, and she became pregnant. Aminata says that she had never learned even basic information about reproduction, and she was confused and terrified. Despite her innocence, her parents threw her out of their home — forcing her to marry the man.
Aminata was only 12 years old when she got married and gave birth to her daughter Kadiatu.
That was also the year her new husband convinced her to drop out of school.
Pregnancy and child labor keep girls out of school
Life was very hard as a child bride and young mother living in extreme poverty. Aminata struggled to produce milk to feed her baby, and year after year, she endured her husband’s mistreatment and lack of support. She recalls that he beat her only once — but one time was too many.
When Kadiatu was 5 years old and Aminata was 17, Aminata could not stand it anymore. She fled to her parents’ house and asked for their protection and support. While she was gone, she discovered her husband had sent Kadiatu to live with his sister, who was determined to keep Aminata and Kadiatu separated.
Although Kadiatu should have been enrolled in kindergarten, she was not allowed to attend school. Soon, her aunt began forcing her into child labor — hauling buckets of sand from the river to sell. There were times when a furious Aminata did not know where her daughter was. Kadiatu, now 12, still has scars from being beaten when she complained about the hard labor.
After years of fighting, Aminata finally got her daughter back last year. Her first order of business was enrolling Kadiatu in school.
“I want Kadiatu to learn so that after she finishes school, she can find a future,” Aminata explains. Her own parents had instilled the importance of education in her, and they had been devastated when she got pregnant and dropped out.
Finally free to go to school
In 2023, Aminata’s husband abandoned her. Although this was a major financial blow, for the first time she was able to make a decision about her own future. She also re-enrolled in school, having not set foot in the classroom since her daughter was born.
She says, “With this child I’ve given birth to, if I’m not educated, I won’t have any means to take care of her … If I go back to school, maybe God will help me, and I’ll get a small job that I can do so my child can survive.”
Mother and daughter were just resuming their studies when they met our team from In School — just in time.
Be sure to check back next month, when we share an update on how Aminata and Kadiatu are doing — and how kind people like you are ensuring they can stay In School!