With Canadian children returning to school, I’m reminded of my trip to Ghana earlier this year when I met Sarah, a former sponsored child. Sarah had to overcome a lot of challenges growing up. Her family struggled to afford the cost of school and as a girl she was discouraged by discrimination. But thanks to her fierce determination and the support of a generous Canadian donor, she is now a teacher — and an inspiration for the young girls in her classroom.
This is just one story. One young woman. But Sarah represents Children Believe’s purpose. To us, she represents the incredible potential of every child in every community we work in. And we are proud to report that in the past year, 285,539 girls benefited from sustained access to inclusive and quality education in our project areas.
There are many more examples of young women like Sarah. Sadly, some of them have endured horrific circumstances, including gender based violence. But they have bravely chosen to share their stories, as proof of the positive change is possible.
In Nicaragua, Johoska has been able to continue her education despite battling poverty and is taking university courses, while helping as a youth group leader to inspire other girls. In Burkina Faso, “KM”, suffered sexual violence, but she is proud to report that with help, she is on track to earn a degree in psychology. She dreams about being an aid worker in her country, to help other young girls overcome tragedy, as she did.
At Children Believe, we’re proud to share and celebrate these small victories that make a big difference. But there is still much to be done. Every day we identify more youth that need help through sponsorship and the programs we offer to help them break down the barriers to education so they can change their world. This is why Canadian support is so critical which makes so much of this work possible. Thank you.
