14/12/2025
Part 1: The Beginning of My Journey
I was 19 when I married Georges Fils. We were both church people, full of faith and hope for the future. Life had other plans for us, though.
Before our pastor even knew we were planning the wedding, I got pregnant. We didn’t have any money, but love and faith carried us forward.
By the age of 22, I was a mother of two beautiful children, with no help and no financial security. Life was hard. Struggling became part of my daily routine, but giving up was never an option. I hadn’t finished high school before my marriage, but I refused to let that stop me. After I got married, I went back to school and proudly graduated in 1990.
My first daughter was born in 1989, and just 11 months later, my second daughter arrived in 1990. Two babies, barely a year apart, and I was learning how to navigate motherhood with nothing but faith and determination.
Georges was a school teacher — very smart and respected. When he spoke, everyone listened. He had studied a lot and knew many things, but despite all his education, he never had much money. More often than not, I had to go to my parents for money just to cover basic needs.
Later, I discovered that Georges used to gamble and often came home with no money. The fights escalated, and he would sometimes beat me during arguments. One day, everything came to a head. We had nowhere to stay because I couldn’t afford to pay the rent, and I realized I could no longer live that way.
Then Georges disappeared. Just like that — gone. No support, no explanation, nothing. I was left completely alone, with two young children, no money, and no one to turn to but my faith and my parents.
It was at that moment that I realized I had to become everything for my children: mother, father, teacher, provider, and protector. I had to find a way to survive and give them a future, even when the odds were against me.
