Paulina Naab Kog
Paulina’s family name indicates that she is from a family of twins; she is a twin herself, she married a twin and she has six children. Three of her children, Nonbaar, Maasobangsu and Naamwinum, attend Karbo Primary School in P6, P1 and the day nursery. She lost her husband when she was four months pregnant with her youngest daughter who is still suckling. Providing for them, especially now as a single parent is really tough.
Paulina first came to know of Action Through Enterprise (ATE) when the building was being constructed for the school kitchen and parents volunteered to help. The support from ATE such as pencils, books, school meals and school uniforms is particularly helpful for Paulina as she acknowledges that she cannot pay for these things herself. Everything used to be paid for from her husband’s income but now Paulina does her best for her family on her own. She used to make shea butter but when she struggled with finances her business collapsed. Currently she helps someone to brew pito (beer made from fermented millet) and whatever money she makes goes to her children. The majority goes to the eldest in senior high school which is costly in terms of fees and provisions.
Paulina admits that food is a struggle and sometimes her family go to sleep hungry. “It all depends on me and if I can make enough money” she says. She and her children live in a single room in her late husband’s family home with his father, two brothers and one of their wives, though they cook separately. Depicting the struggles she faces, she explains that when her own family visited from nearby Kasare, they brought her some maize but she has not yet found the money to grind it to prepare food.
“Now there is school feeding at Karbo Primary, when the children get up and there is no food, I know they will get a meal from school, so I aim to get the evening meal and it helps a lot”
Paulina says her children only ever miss school when they are sick, though she worries about their health living in their cramped conditions in the traditional mud compound house which is cold in the rainy season. Paulina could only afford health insurance for her littlest one and is relieved that the middle three in Karbo Primary have benefitted from free health insurance from ATE
“ATE has really lessened my burden. I have to go through hardship just to earn enough. I could not have provided my children with school uniforms – that is the greatest portion of the burden. That they enjoy free books and free health insurance too is really a big relief for me”.
Paulina adds that now Nonbaar, Maasobangsu and Naamwinum are benefitting from support from ATE she has been telling them that they should make the most of their education and not let it go to waste.
By Leela Shanti and Diedong Eric