Our Happiness is Multiplied by Four

They came back home after school, rushing to change their clothes and wait for the surprise. The four sisters; Sajida, Shahd, Majd and Marwa sat in their modest, tidy living room waiting patiently for the community monitor, volunteering with World Vision JWG in their village, to deliver Christmas cards like every year. With the delicious smell of their mother’s cooking in the background, they were more than excited to receive their Christmas cards from their sponsors.

“I feel truly happy every time I receive a card from my sponsor Sarah. I love reading her messages and seeing her pictures with her husband and dog,” said Sajida. “I love when it’s time to receive cards from my sponsor. I feel that someone cares about me; my sponsor and World Vision staff and volunteers. I feel cared for when World Vision staff visit and check on me and my sisters constantly,” explained Shahd. “We also like them very much, they are sweet to us,” continued the other sisters.

The four girls have been enrolled in World Vision sponsorship program since 2017. Their participation, along with 437 others in the sponsorship program in the village of Joret Al Sham’a, has contributed to many World Vision interventions in the village. “World Vision JWG rehabilitated the sanitary units at my girls’ school, provided the school with new computers, and gave the girls school supplies and colouring pens and books,” said the girls’ mother.

The sponsorship program of World Vision has changed the life of this specific family dramatically. Last year, Shahd had a severe health issue, which was discovered by World Vision community health workers. World Vision JWG covered the expenses of the medical operation, which was successful and gave Shahd a new perspective on life.

The girls’ family, as the rest of the sponsored children’s families, has a bad financial situation. The father is a truck driver and is the only financial source of the family, because the mother has not finished school. The four girls sleep in the same room, along with their 3-year-old brother. Having a sponsor gives the children hope for a better life and future.

The village of Joret Al Sham’a also benefited from the support World Vision JWG receives from sponsors. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, World Vision JWG provided the village council with protective equipment and sanitation materials, to be used to sanitize the public facilities in the village. Furthermore, World Vision JWG intervened to support the schools in the village to have a safe reopening, as it provided them with face masks and sanitization supplies.

“We wait in excitement for our sponsors cards every time. We hope they keep sending us these caring and encouraging messages and keep supporting us, our school and our village,” said the girls.