Daniella enjoys working with kids and helping people, so she wants to be a pediatrician someday.
"I would like to open an orphanage," she says. "And I would like to open a health clinic for people who can't afford health care."
Daniella is 14 years old and studies at the Planet Aid-supported vocational school—Polytechnic College Maputo—in Maputo, Mozambique. She lived in the northern port city of Pemba before moving with her mother and sisters to be closer to the school. She is pursuing the community development course, which teaches her how to care for sick people in her community and how to protect the environment.
"I chose to study here because there is a course that allows me to learn more about the career that I want to pursue before finishing high school, and it will help me get there faster," she says.
Her favorite classes are biology, sanitary education, and "practice," which allows her to go out in the world and apply what she's learning in real-life situations. In the practice class, students participate in community work relating to HIV/AIDS prevention and visit local hospitals. The course also has an environmental component, in which the students help take care of the surrounding area by tending to plants and organizing cleanups.
"It's important to take care of the environment because a lot of the time we destroy it, and we need to protect it," says Daniella.
Since 1984, the Polytechnic College has been helping hundreds of young people like Daniella escape poverty and aid in the development of their own country. Graduates gain technical-professional skills to enter the local labor market as employees or through their own income generation activities. In addition to the Community Development program, students can choose to study Agriculture and Livestock, Construction, or Commerce and Administration.
To learn more about vocational schools supported by Planet Aid, click here.