Maria lives with her single mother who is a local teacher in their remote village, and she has never met her father. Her parents never lived together, and they were dating when her mother became pregnant unexpectedly. Maria’s father denied his paternity and her mother has never seen him since. After giving birth to Maria, the mother got ahold of a phone number for him and tried to contact him for help, but he continued to deny that he was the father of the baby and refused to help support her.

Since then, Maria’s mother has been struggling alone to take care of Maria’s needs. Having some skills in teaching, her mother has been giving her some lessons at home but it is time for her to start normal school. They cannot afford the tuition fees, and she will not be able to attend unless she receives a sponsorship.