Summary

Sophia is twelve years old, and has not gone to school for one year. There is no medical help when she and her family are sick. Her father has disappeared, and her mother is sick and can’t work. The family of five people stays in one tiny, shabby room. Sponsorship level: $12 per month.

Household

Sophia Toyo was born in Bois Neuf (a neighborhood of Cite Soleil, a slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti). She is twelve years old. She has gone to second grade, but she has not gone to school for one year.
Sophia’s mother’s name is Mariel Blanc. Her father may be dead because he’s disappeared for nine years. Her mother has four children. None of them are going to school. This family is very poor.
“My mother cannot do anything for us. We find no food to eat. Sometimes we are sick and our mother doesn’t have a way to take us to the hospital. We aren’t living like humans. In our country the authorities don’t care about people in bad situations. My mother rents a room for $50 Haitian dollars (U.S. $7.15) per month, and she cannot pay it. Everyday the owner comes to insult my mother. Today it has been six months since she paid. So she must pay $300 Haitian dollars (U.S. $42.85) to be okay with the owner. And all of us need to go to school, me and my three little sisters.”

Living conditions

General economic situation
“My mother does not do anything to make a living. She just stays home. Sometimes she goes out to find some food and I think she is asking some friends. When she’s back sometime she has bread. She goes out two times per week. Most of the time, we are still hungry.”
---
Job opportunities
Mariel (the mother): “I don’t have anything to do, because I’m a sick person. So I’m weak and I don’t have knowledge of anything. No income. But I must pay for my room to live in it. It cost $50 Haitian dollars per month. There is no place to live here, just one room for five people. It’s too small. And you see the situation we are living. We cannot explain about waste.”
Mariel: “I did not go to school. I can’t read and write, I don’t have any skills training.”
---
Health and food
The mother is sick. She had a bad cold when she was young. “We always take a bath when it’s raining. We always eat one time a day. Two cans of rice for five people. But we go most days without eating. In a week we eat two days. Most eating we have is two cans of rice with vegetables, sometimes peas, and the least is one can of rice with salt, just white.”

Community information

Education system
In this area there is a school nearby, Action Chretian. There are no schools for parents. My mother doesn’t think about going to school herself.
---
Health care situation
We have a hospital in Cite Soleil. It’s not far, just two blocks from Bois Neuf (here). The cost per visit is $20 Haitian dollars (U.S. $2.85). We don’t pay for medicine but there no money to go.
---
Political and legal
Mariel: “We cannot talk about security in Cite Soleil. This area is very dangerous. They shut it down all night. In the past they kill people even in the day. Now with the UN in Cite Soleil it’s possible to stay here. It would be a pleasure for me to move to another zone, but there is no money for that.”
---
Economic situation of the community
“If you had money you could buy all you need. There is a public market here.”
---
Culture
“We enjoy sometimes when the band of Carnival is playing. So we celebrate every February.”

Personal qualities

Sophia: “I am loving, helpful, sharing. When people insult me I get angry, and I don’t want that to happen. I am shy. I’m serious, and I never joke.”

Life Plan

Immediate needs
“I need food and clothes.”
---
Development
“I want to go to school.”
---
Goals and dreams
“I’d like to move an another area.”
“I want to become an engineer.”

Sponsorship plan

The main purpose of this sponsorship is to send Sophia back to school for one year, as well as receiving a uniform and basic school supplies. $14 a month for one year is enough to do a lot for Sophia, but it will not solve all of her problems. In addition to sending her to school, this sponsorship will pay for some food for her. It will also pay for basic medical care for her mother.
Furthermore, we will explore ways to help her mother start a business, and for her to earn money to pay the rent. We will also try to set up possible sponsorships for Sophia’s three sisters.
---
-- Send Sophia to school
-- Food
-- Medical help for mother
-- Begin to plan a business for her mother.

Interview details

Cajuste Jean-Luis conducted this interview in Cite Soleil, February, 2008.