"We'd Be Nothing Without You"

by Kseniya Shorokhova
photos by Alina Skitovich

The school in the Siberian village of Ponomaryovka has just one student: Sabina. But, thanks to her, seven locals have jobs – something especially valuable in this village of 90 residents. Thanks to Sabina, Ponomaryovka has a chance at survival.

In Ponomaryovka, a tiny village in Kolyvan District, a couple of hours north of Novosibirsk, 10-year-old Sabina is the only child hurrying to get ready for school. It’s not far away: walk out the gate, pass the house next door, cross a bit of vacant land, and then turn to the left, to a two-story brick building. The village council occupies one half of the building, the school the other.