Kouda Issa

Issa is about 11 years old.  He is currently in his 3^rd year of school.  His mother died a year ago, leaving Issa with his father (Bourema), 2 younger brothers and a baby.  His brother Aaron is about 10 but is not in school.  The other boy, Galilee is 5 and too young for school. 

It is very unusual for a man to raise his children alone in this culture, so I suspect Bourema will eventually take a new wife.  In the meantime, he prepares the meals and raises the children.  He farms with the help of the 2 older boys. 

When his wife died, Bourema was forced to find someone who could take care of the baby; so the baby is being raised by a relative in another courtyard not far from them. 

Issa and his family live in Yako, very close to my home.  Their home is very simple and in need of repair, but they make do.