Birthday: September 16, 2005 Sponsorship #: 2024-00-076M

Santalie is a bright, responsible, and determined nineteen year old from the village of Galette Chambon who lives with her single mother, five sisters, and one brother. Their father died in a motorcycle accident three years ago and all of the children have had to chip in to help their mother provide for the family. Santalie is the oldest and she wants desperately to finish school. She has made it to the tenth grade and is determined to graduate and become a nurse one day. She is behind in school because she and her siblings have had to take turns going to school when their parents couldn’t afford to send all of them to school. This is a common practice in Haiti. Each year, a different child in the family will get a turn to go to school for a year or two while the others work and help support the family. They have a garden that they work all year to make produce to sell at market. It’s been a hard few years because the roads have been unsafe and the market has had to close often because of gang violence in the village. When Santalie is not in school, she enjoys helping her mother take care of her siblings and work around the house and in the garden. Santalie homeschools the siblings that aren’t in school right now so that they don’t get too far behind when it’s their turn to go back. Her favorite subject is Kreyol because it’s her country’s native language. She hopes to become a nurse one day so that she can find a good job that provides steady income for her family.