Henrietta is eight years old and is in first grade this year with a More than Me scholarship. She is described as tough, obedient, uncomplaining, and a huge help in her home–even though she is only seven, she helps with the dishes, sweeps and cleans up around the house.
Henrietta has a boundless imagination and is known for taking stories from other people, changing them around, and retelling them to make others smile. She’s playful and very friendly, warm and open. She is also generous with her time and skills–she helps other girls by teaching them how to braid hair and enjoys playing with her best friend, Blessing. When asked for her most memorable experience, Henrietta told MTM this story: she remembers playing with dirty tomato cups from the garbage in the sand and pretending like she owned her own kitchen. She got in trouble with her mother because the cups were dirty and it made the whole room dirty!
Henrietta’s mother, Mary, never had a chance to go to school and braids hair for a living, earning about $11 a month. Mary also does laundry in exchange for rice to feed her family. Mary’s husband left the family two years ago to find farming work outside of the city and sends home about $20 per year. With school year costs as high as $250 a year, there was no way that Henrietta’s family could afford to send her to school without assistance. Henrietta’s whole family works hard, including her two brothers and sister, just to get the essentials. Her mother told us that she thanks God that there are people to help the children go to school, especially the young girls, because in Liberia women have a very hard time.
Henrietta’s favorite activity in school is learning about living things. Her first semester reports show that she is doing well with excellent attendance and a great attitude. When Henrietta grows up, she wants to open her own beauty salon, and her dream is that Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will one day visit her shop.
