Clyde is 6 years old and started in grade 1 this school year. She started in Papaya kindergarten last year and teacher Kath immediately noticed that Clyde is extremely eager to learn. Colouring and drawing, as well as other creative activities, are what she likes most, but she also enjoys learning new English words.
Six siblings Clyde has. The oldest, her sister Ceira, is 14 and the youngest is Calila aged 2. Clyde herself is the 'fifth in line'. Clyde's father is a jeepney driver and earns between 400 and 700 pesos (between €6 and €10.50) a day. With jeepneys having to disappear from the streets (the government has decided to ban jeepneys), income is expected to keep falling in the short term. Due to the care of all the children, her mother is mostly at home.
Although Clyde's father's income for 9 people is very low, the family is doing everything they can to make the best use of their income. But that is a huge challenge, because after buying food and paying the rent of 3,000 pesos (€45) a month, there is not much left over. And electricity and water are not paid for even then.
Despite poverty, Clyde's parents take tremendous care of their children. They are determined to give of themselves wherever possible so that their children can get a good education and build a brighter future. They are very proud of Clyde's dream of becoming a teacher and very happy that she was allowed to start at Papaya School last year.
"Clyde is a huge go-getter. If she finds something difficult, she makes every effort to understand it and she is also very brave to ask for help if she really can't manage" - Miss Kath
English 
Dutch