Have you ever felt trapped by one small thing you could not change? In Marie’s case it was a mere $35 a month that shackled him to repeat his family’s cycle of poverty. After graduating from 8th grade, Marie dropped out of school because his parents could not afford the monthly rent money to board him in the neighboring village of Kola Diba where he could attend the closest high school some 11 miles away. So Marie fell behind his friends and became listless with few opportunities for work.

“I am lagging behind my friends who have completed their education -- some have gone on to become engineers and doctors. Because my parents are poor, I had to drop out, and have no way to support myself,” says Marie.

It’s hard to imagine this 27-year-old young man with elastic energy, a knack for soccer and a love for physics as someone sitting still for long, but Marie explains that he has had little work in the last few years because his family lacks land. Marie’s story is a common story in this small rural community where hand-to-mouth poverty has shut out many young men and women from finishing their education and pursing their dreams.

But on November 10th doors of opportunity swung wide open for these young minds and the next younger generation, when the new Glimmer high school opened its doors in Robit village.

On the first day of school, Marie grasped hold of his second chance and headed back to the classroom to become a nurse after a 14-year absence. The oldest of four siblings, Marie is the one in his family leading the charge to change their cycle of poverty.

“I am ecstatic to be going to the 9th grade in the new Robit high school. Now all the children feel happy. Now we hope every child and girl will get high school without any frustration. Thanks to Glimmer and ORDA, we feel happy,” says Marie. “Not only me, but the whole village, has gone from dark into light.”