Transforming Lives, One Family At A Time, Through Child Sponsorship
It's a dark, cold, and gloomy early Thursday morning, with thick clouds hovering overhead and promising rain. After driving for an hour and a half through dense mist and fog on an old, undulating, and uncomfortable road, we arrived in Andobe village to meet a family whose life had been transformed by a sponsorship programme.
Abdulbasil, a young and lively youngster, spotted us from a distance, dashed towards us, and greeted us excitedly with a big smile. Shortly after, his mother, Alewya, emerged with a bright grin, greeted us, and invited us to her home. We sat down on stools set up for us on the verandah, and she began telling us about her family's livelihood.
"We had no assets and no long-term source of income to put food on the family’s table. My husband and I spent a day job-hunting to fill the gap. If we didn't have daily work, we had to visit our family and closest friends to borrow money to buy bread. There were days when our children had to go to bed hungry. Poverty presented such a significant challenge that we hardly fed our children. It was a very hard, heartbreaking, and unspeakable life," Alewya recalls with a heavy heart.
45-year-old Alewya tried everything in her power to feed her kids. She used to wash clothes and bake bread for others. Most individuals, in addition to paying her cash for her services, offered her lunch once she finished her work. She frequently accepted invites but did not eat the food provided. She says, "When my employers invited me to a meal after work, I would accept the invitation but pretend to be tired and ask them to pack the food so that I could give it to my children at home. I didn't want to eat alone when my children were hungry at home. I would take the food home to share with my children."
Abdulbasil, 17, was one of her eight children. He says, “Our mother did not want us to miss school. Six of us were going to school with unmet school supplies. We went to school barefoot and in shabby clothes. Going to school without breakfast was not uncommon. This was also affecting our school's performance. One of our sisters dropped out of school and moved out to find a better life because she was tired of living in poverty."
World Vision embraced Abdulbasil under a sponsorship programme and provided him with yearly educational materials and school uniforms. It also supported his family with a milk cow. His mother was included in a Building Security Livelihood (BLS) group and trained in vegetable farming. She joined a savings group that consists of disadvantageous but capable women and offers a series of training on local trades in their villages. Gradually, she deposited money into the savings account and took out loans to further extend the trade.
The improved seed provision and the training helped them collect two to three folds of harvests from a small piece of land. “Child sponsorship has become a source of our blessings. The cow provision turned our livelihoods around. We drink milk, sell dairy products, and use the money to buy school supplies, shoes, and clothes. The calves have matured into oxen, and we currently have four. “Our father cultivates other people's land using our oxen on a shared basis. The produce my father collects nourishes our family throughout the year. My mom does some small trading, and she is quite good at it. Food is readily available on our table. We no longer go to school without meals,’’ explains Abdulbasil with excitement.
“World Vision’s multifaceted support turned our lives around for the better. I no longer have to worry about what to feed and clothe my children. World Vision support has made our children smile,” explains Alewya.
Abdulbasil is thankful for World Vision's sponsorship support and the status of family resilience in terms of livelihoods. He goes on to say, "The sponsorship initiative has had a significant impact on my family’s sustainable development. It has brought us out of poverty and transformed us into individuals full of dreams and optimism. The life-changing support has opened our eyes, and we are excited about a better prospect. I am grateful to World Vision and its generous sponsors for supporting disadvantaged children and families like ours. Our lives have been elevated, and we will remain strong pursuing progress in our lives."
By Aklilu Kassaye, Field Communication Manager, World Vision Ethiopia