I sat beside Anayesi watching her write out sentences for her homework. She stood barefoot in the dirt balancing her notebook against her body (pictured left). She wrote each sentence carefully and neatly. She only paused and looked up when I told her that I had good news for her.
Anayesi stared up with me her eyes smiling. I told her that we were able to find a sponsor to help her with school. I was explaining to program and giving her paperwork to sign. Her new backpack, school supplies, and uniform were sitting on my lap. Her face lit up in a big smile as she signed her name to her sponsorship contract in her neatest handwriting. She smiled proudly at her own work.
Next I turned again to her mom I began to explain to program to her, all of the benefits and requirements. And then I asked her mom to also sign the paperwork. Her mom looked directly at me and said, "I don't know how to sign my name. I never went to school. I never learned. But it won't be the same for my girls. They are going to study. They are going to become more than I did."
This family is breaking the cycle. They have a mom who longs to see her daughters go farther than she was able to go. She wants to see her daughters educated and given opportunities to dream for a better future. And Anayesi now has a sponsor committed to providing her with access to the education that she desires. Anayesi has already learned to read and write and you can already view her pride as she looks at her own work. She is breaking the cycle.
If you would like to help a child break the cycle of poverty by opening the doors to education, please check out our sponsorship website at www.educatenica.org. For only $25/month, you can give a child the chance to study and to dream for a better future. Together we can see children rise above the poverty that surrounds them, and transform their community from the inside out.
