Love Shows Girl Path for Tomorrow

Taya’s childhood had been one of uncertainty and poverty. Despite her parents’ hard work, they did not earn enough money to properly provide for their family. And Taya suffered because of it.

A Family’s Struggle to Provide

Taya’s father worked for a local metal company while her mother worked odd jobs as a housekeeper. Recently transplanted from another area, the family rented a single room. Rent, plus all the accompanying bills, drained much of the family’s income. Though the girl and her brother attended the local school free of charge, this provision did not ensure she received the supplies and guidance she needed to succeed.

Taya was worried; her parents couldn’t afford the food or the school supplies she needed to properly grow and succeed. No matter how hard her parents worked or how hard they tried, they never earned enough. The entire family felt discouraged. Would Taya ever receive the materials and food she needed to grow?

She would.

A Helping Hand

By the grace of God, when Taya was 9, her family received an invitation to enroll her in GFA World’s Child Sponsorship Program. It was through this program that the girl took her first steps on the journey to a better future.

The most pressing needs Taya and her family faced were regular meals and school supplies. Through the program, Taya received a warm, nutritious meal every day and any school supplies she needed. Food, books, writing implements, notebooks—it was all provided for free.

But what touched Taya’s heart the most wasn’t the supplies she received but the care she felt. The staff poured love and guidance into each child in the program, including Taya. They wanted to make sure that every single enrollee under their care understood that they were loved and cherished. Taya was surprised to know that there were people who had such a heart of kindness and love, who helped those in need. She was lucky, Taya thought to herself.

The Power of Inspiration

Home visitations became part of Taya’s routine. Staff would swing by from time to time to check in with Taya’s parents, to see how they were doing and if the family needed anything. The visits made Taya feel like she was part of their family, too.

When special events occurred at the program, whether handwriting or dance competitions or programs aimed at raising awareness for certain issues, Taya was actively involved. As the years passed, Taya matured and became a leader for the younger children.

One year, Taya’s hard work earned her the title of best student of the year. Taya graduated from school with high marks, earning the praise of her teachers. It is to the child sponsorship staff that she credits her success.

“I am very much grateful to the [child sponsorship program] teachers for teaching me many things, like the importance of study and leadership,” Taya says. “The teaching and family environment [of the program] helped me to continue studies.”

Encouraged by the child sponsorship program staff’s love and care, Taya desires to be a social worker, just like the staff who encouraged her and visited her family. She knows there are so many children who desperately need the help she received as a child—and she wants to give that love back.

“I have a dream to be a social worker,” Taya states. “… I want to work with the kind of institutions [that] are working among the needy community.”