George W. Carver once said, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” For some, however, it is a commodity that is not always accessible.

Frederica Tahun is a mother of four. At 35 years of age, she still feels immense sadness due to her lack of access to education. Being one of eight children, her parents were unable to provide the fees required to continue her schooling so at 14 years old, Frederica could no longer go to school.

Living in Soe, a small red-dirt village in West Timor, Frederica and her husband struggled to provide the basic needs for their family such as regular meals, clean water, electricity and their children’s school fees.

She can recount days of darkness, when they were unable to afford kerosene for their lamps and rice was the only meal that she could provide for her family.

But thanks to someone like you, Frederica received a hand up in 2012 with a small loan of Rp.1,000,000 (A$100) to set up a small bakery, selling cakes and steamed bread. With the small profit from her bakery, Frederica is now able to buy kerosene, clean water, and rice.

Although her family’s struggles aren’t over, she’s now able to provide her children with a proper education - her two eldest boys have exceeded her own level of education already.

This is not unusual in Timor-Leste, which has a large literacy gap between adults (58%) and young people (80%), showing a major movement in prioritising education for young people.

But Frederica’s ultimate dream is to break the cycle of poverty and send her children to university.

I dream that my children will go to university.

Unbelievably, unlocking “the golden door of freedom” for families like Frederica’s costs just 20 cents a day.

To put it into perspective, just 20 cents per day adds up to $6 a month. Over the course of 12 months that’s enough to give a HandUp to one family.

And when a mother like Frederica repays her loan – Opportunity is able to re-lend the funds to another family, giving more opportunity to others. With a 98% loan repayment rate – your impact is sure to continue year after year.

20 cents a day is a small price to pay for someone else’s freedom. If you’re able to, please give a HandUp to another family like Frederica’s today.

Jamie-Leigh Hecht is Opportunity International Australia's Communications Intern and is currently studying a Bachelor of Global Studies.