Fleeing Poverty Not Fatherland

Fleeing Poverty Not Fatherland is about Martine Marteaux an eight-year-old girl whose dream is to be a doctor when she grows up so she can change her community by promoting employment health and education. On the island where she lives the illiteracy rate is extremely high. Food is scarce and there is no running water. The Marteaux family lives in total despair on a small farm with nothing to their names but a small vegetable garden for food a cow for milk and a donkey for transportation. Misery for them is a way of life. There is no opportunity whatsoever. The peoples only choice is to live and die in misery or risk their lives on a boat to Miami. Sometimes they make it there safely and sometimes they drown at sea. Cecile 25 finally leaves her daughter Martine with her grandmother Widow Marteaux and is smuggled into Miami. Five years later Cecile pays another smuggler $5000 to bring her mother Widow Marteaux and her daughter Martine to America. Martine then 13 enters Free Will High School in Fort Lauderdale where prejudiced teachers and violent classmates vainly try to strangle her hopes and dreams. Despite difficulties of all sorts Martine graduates with honors and gets several scholarships attends NYU (New York University) studies medicine and becomes a pediatrician. After a few years of hard work and saving Martine (now Dr. Marteaux) returns to her island as planned and builds a school and a medical facility in her own community. This impacts the entire island and greatly challenges the repressive government there but eventually America helps Martine Marteaux reach her goals and keep her promises.