Jesca is the fourth child in her family of five. Three of them (including Jesca) live with their aunt, while the other two remain with their parents. Jesca’s parents are peasant farmers, and they don’t have any other work on the side that brings in money, so they are totally dependent on digging in gardens for food. This is not even enough to feed their whole family, which is why they were forced to bring three of their children to the aunt.

Jesca’s aunt is a tailor by trade, but she already has eight children of her own, so Jesca and her siblings make eleven! She tries her best to feed them all, but finds it difficult to support them all in school. A sponsorship is the only way Jesca would be able to finish her education. She is a kind little girl who loves to read.