• Hi I'm Waa Toga welcome to my life I have a sister called Sherou and no parents. We live in a very poor town in North Africa and I’m ten years old.

• Every day is a struggle to survive but I do as many jobs as possible which can send my sister and myself to school.

• Life every morning is hard to keep on living but I do it for my sister in the hope she will eventually receive a better life. Our parents abandoned us here in our village when I was only four the age Sherou is now. Every Morning my four year old sister and I walk five kilometres to collect fire wood. We receive five Rand for a bundle of sticks,I try to collect more than one bundle but my small weak body can’t handle it. After we have done that I go and walk two kilometres to get some clean water.

• My home is in the desert of North Africa in a small little village called Mali.

• My home is made of tin and old rubble bits and any other materials we could find.

• Our beds are simply mud and a sprinkle of hay on top.

• I cook the food cold or when I can make a fire which usually takes up to an hour.

• School is a far distance from home it is about seven or so kilometres and we only have old bottles as shoes. They really hurt our little feet.

• At school we write on bark torn of an old tree outside the hut also I have a few friends at school there names are Riga, Shoji and Gobi.

• We learn a lot at school and I have fun.• I like school because I know not many of the

children in my village get a chance to go to school.

• The walk home takes a while but its all worth it once we get home I leave Sherou with our good friend Tula who looks after her for a while I go and do different jobs to pay for school and to buy some food and tea .

• When I get home I say goodbye to Tula and put Sherou to bed.

• I stay up for a while longer to go and find the villages grocers hut to see what food they have left, the food is normally cheaper late at night . They only had carrots and tea left and I bought two carrots and a small box of tea which used all my money.

• I walk home and find Sherou asleep I put the food away and go to sleep in the hope of a better life tomorrow.

We can all help Waa Toga and his sister by simply donating a pair of shoes or socks which can make a big difference for WA Toga and his community.

By Michelle Stevenson Social Justice Team