Maria Lamu
Maria Lamu is 29 years old and was born and raised in Como Quiera. She lives there with her husband, Michel, who works as a cane cutter. Together they have four children (Leonardo, 9, Albert, 7, Manuel, 5 and Alexander, 4) and she is currently 8 months pregnant with their fifth child. Their children attend the Marshall Smith School in Como Quiera.
Maria is dedicated to raising her children and providing the best life possible for them, but limited financial resources leave parents in Como Quiera in need of school supplies for their children every year. The four oldest children of the Lamu family have been regularly attending Marshall Smith School since reaching school age.
Yokasta Luis
Yokasta Luis is 28 years old and has five children with her partner, Joshua Nova. Yokasta is a housewife whose main priority is taking care of her family, especially her youngest child, Angel (9 months). While Yokasta and her family have experienced some hardships in Como Quiera, this has never weakened Yokasta's beautiful smile.
Yokasta's four oldest children attend the Marshall Smith School and she is committed to her children receiving an education, but this has not always been easy due to requirements for parents to provide school supplies and uniforms, no matter their circumstance or financial resources.
Dr. Marshall Smith School
Marshall Smith School is located in Como Quiera, Seybo Province, DR and is run by Sandra David Cedeño. This school was built in order to provide education to the children of the batey in lieu of them needing to travel elsewhere for classes.
The school has three classrooms, two bathrooms and a recreation area where children can play and have fun in their free time. Since its foundation, the school has taught children from pre-school to fourth grade. In addition to an education, the children receive their breakfast and lunch for the day while at school. However, at this time only children between the ages of 4 and 7 receive classes on a regular basis.
The school currently has 29 students enrolled with a total of three teachers. The remaining children of Como Quiera travel to Batey Milagrosa and the municipality of Guaymate for school. In total, there are 47 children of school age in Como Quiera.
