Lala Fatoumata Diabate

A girl born in 2016 is growing up in a family of three children, living with her father’s extended family. Lala is the eldest child. Her mother completed the second year of high school, while her father studied up to sixth grade in primary school. The father is unemployed, and they rely on support from the extended family. The mother occasionally cleans houses for wealthy families in the neighborhood. Lala’s mother describes her as an energetic, sometimes hard-headed girl who talks a lot but is otherwise a good child. Lala loves going to school, with math and French being her favorite subjects. She doesn’t have school supplies or a uniform. At home, she washes dishes, looks after her siblings, and washes clothes. In her free time, she plays circle games with her friends, where they dance and sing. She also loves drawing. Her favorite colors are yellow, red, and blue. Lala dreams of having textbooks and colored pencils.