Sylvester wakes up early each school day. He rises at 0430 am to pray, brush his teeth and say “good morning” to his parents. After this, he eats rice for breakfast, washes the dishes and cleans the house. He also looks after his two little sisters, making sure they’re ready for school, with the help of his older brother who is in Grade 7. Him and his family share a house made of mud, with three rooms.

Sylvester walks to school with his friends, which is about ten minutes walk away; each day, they talk excitedly about what they might learn. Sylvester says: “At school, English is my favourite subject. I feel happy to be learning more. I like everything about it: reading, writing and speaking English.”

Once his day is done at school, Sylvester walks home where he fetches water before sitting down to study for one hour each night. “When I am grown up, I want to be the President of Liberia. I want to help my country, build houses for everyone,” he says.

His father, Soloman says: “Sylvester is learning more. As I look at his grade card, I can see he’s trying hard in school. He’s so happy to be going to school and enjoys wearing his uniform. He’s never missed a day.”

His mother, Margaret says: “Sylvester has improved a lot. The things he does now, he never did before, such as reading and writing. The teachers at his school are good – they teach well. I want all my children to go to his school.”