“I help my mother selling vegetables before and after school to support our family”

It is still early morning in Karantina Tasi-Tolu, Dili, Timor-Leste. Elizino de Deus, 9 years old, has already been busy helping her mother selling various vegetables such as kales, aubergines, spinaches and tomatoes to the local market.

I am so proud of Elizino who helps me diligently. If I can choose, I want him to stay at home with his younger siblings to study and play

Tereza Silva Santos, Elizino’s mother 

After his father passed away a few years ago, Elizino as the eldest child has taken the responsibility of helping his mother to support their family from a young age. He goes to the market every day from 06.00am until he has to go to school at 10.00am.

“On school days, I have my uniforms and books in my backpack. My mother gives me an allowance of USD 0.50 to 1 that I can use at school,” he said.

When the school finishes at 01.30pm, he comes back to the market to continue helping his mother selling vegetables until 07.00pm. “I help my mother before and after school to support our family. I always try to study and play a little bit with my siblings before bed,” told Elizino.

© Paqhar Malay/ILO

Despite the hard living condition, Elizino is able to maintain good grades at school. His teachers have appraised his school’s achievements and he got second rank in the third-grade last year. “I am now a fourth grader and my teachers appraise my achievements at school,” he said with a smile.

Tereza Silva Santos, Elizino’s mother, said that as a mother of three, she must support her children after the death of her husband. She decided to earn a living by selling vegetables when she received a micro credit from the bank to start her small business.

“I was relieved when I got the small loan. I use the loan to buy vegetables and resell them at a local market. I am so proud of Elizino who helps me diligently. If I can choose, I want him to stay at home with his younger siblings to study and play,” she said.

However, the reality speaks differently. “I cannot work by myself as we do not have a kiosk at the market. Thus, we have to sell the vegetables at the market’s roadside and Elizino helps me with the selling and eyeing for the security,” added Tereza.

For the future, she hopes that she can get a permanent space in the market so that she can sell the vegetables without any disruption and can earn more income. “With more income, I can continue sending my children to school so that they can reach their dreams like Elizino who has a big dream to be a policeman when he grows up,” she wished.