Birthday: June 20, 2007  Sponsorship #: 2025-00-122M

BERLYNEDA is an 18-year-old student in the 11th grade at BGM High School. Born in June 2007, she lives in the remote village of Boucandrice with her mother, four sisters, and one brother. Life in Boucandrice is quiet and distant—especially from Galette-Chambon, where her school is located. Despite the long journey, Berlyneda and many children from her village rise before dawn each day to make the walk to school. They arrive by 7:30 in the morning, just in time to start their day.

While the younger children attend elementary school from 8 a.m. to noon, Berlyneda and her high school classmates spend their mornings studying, reviewing lessons, and spending time together. Once the younger children finish school, they wait on the playground, doing homework and preparing for the next day. Meanwhile, the older students attend class from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. When the day ends, the whole group gathers again and begins the long walk back home.

Berlyneda’s mother is a midwife who helps women in the village deliver their babies at home. Though many families cannot afford to pay her much, she accepts whatever they can offer. Her small earnings help feed her children. The school meals are a blessing for the family, and sometimes the children save part of their food to share with their mother.

For Berlyneda, school is more than just a place of learning—it is a vital part of her family’s survival and her own future. She enjoys studying, sleeping, and spending time with her friends. Her favorite subject is social science, and she dreams of becoming a clothing designer and owning her own shop. With just two more years of school ahead, she believes that BGM and its sponsorship program will help her achieve her dreams. Berlyneda has high hopes for the future—hope powered by education, determination, and the quiet strength she carries with her each day on that long walk to school.