As time passed life changed for Junior. He would go on to attend University and with his sisters help his mother to pay the bills. Life improved, “We stepped out of the poverty life to live a normal life,” says Junior, I never forget my Mum always said to me never give up, never give up on your dream.” Junior’s dream was to live in Australia.
Growing up in San Paolo, Juliana’s childhood was distinctly different to that of Junior’s. “It wasn’t hard for me; my journey was different because I grew up as an only child who had everything. But at the same time, I didn’t feel loved, I didn’t feel empowered. I didn’t feel I was enough or that I could do things like follow my dreams,” tells Juliana. Juliana was joined by a sister when she was 12 years old and is thankful that her parents gave her the best of everything including education. Juliana’s parents were protective, but when she decided to pursue her dream of moving to Australia, they supported her and her dream. It was then that Juliana started to look at life differently, “So, I was living in Australia and I could be grateful for them … my perspective changed from how I used to see them to how I see them today, because now I can be grateful. Now I know how hard they worked to support me.”