Luigia was the fourth born of eight children. The first seven children did not attend school, but the last born has made it through college level education. Growing up, her family relied on farming for food as income, so during the dry seasons they would sometimes only get one meal per day.

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When Luigia was 20 years old she got married and had the first of four children. When her and her husband were first married, they lived in a one room home. She would travel six hours to and from the river to get water and could only carry one 20-liter jerry can. Now, they have built a 3 room house, with a bedroom, kitchen, and dining room, along with a separate house for the children to sleep. Today, it takes only four hours to and from the river and she uses their donkey to transport the water. Having their donkey allows her to transport four 20-liter jerry cans in a trip, and she can crochet during the walk.

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Through basket making, she has been able to pay for all of their children’s school fees, and her husband supports her by farming and working seasonal jobs, and buying her the yarns to make more baskets. Together, they raise livestock to sell during the dry seasons. Luigia and her husband have been very successful improving their living situation and are very proud of their family.

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Luigia enjoys being a part of the adult literacy group because it gives her a community of other strong women. By sticking together and sharing with each other, they have learned many things, including the harmful practices of FGM. They also support each other by working for one another during the farming seasons and helping cover school fees if anyone could not make ends meet for their children that year.

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Luigia loves weaving because it feels like time she can spend resting, but also making a good income to support her family. She also enjoys that she has more time to cook for the family, and she is able to care for her family almost stress free because of the money she makes crocheting.