Ivan now lives with his grandmother, after nearly starving with his family. His father is a school dropout who worked as a fisherman to support him family, and his mother was a housewife who didn’t work outside the home. Several years ago, the army took over the fishing area and chased away the fishermen, leaving them without work.

The family looked for odd jobs to support themselves, like washing people’s clothes and cleaning houses, but they did not make enough money and they came close to starvation. Ivan and his older brother were almost living on the street when their grandmother stepped in to take care of them. She is a peasant farmer who is very poor herself, but she at least grows enough food to feed the children. The little garden does not grow enough food to sell, so Ivan’s grandmother cannot afford to send him to school.

Ivan badly needs to go to school to ease the burden on his grandmother and to ensure that all his other needs are provided for. He hopes to become a business administrator when he grows up.