Joy is a bright 12-year-old fourth grader living in Uganda. Her family is supported by her hardworking peasant farmer parents, who struggle to meet the basic needs and to provide quality education for all their school-going children. Despite their relentless effort on a small-scale farm, unstable yields often disrupted by bad weather mean that their resources are always limited. Joy helps her parents with household chores in their modest, crowded home. Even so, she remains determined and hopeful. Joy dreams of becoming a nurse one day so she can care for and uplift her community, and she finds moments of happiness playing netball with her friends.
