Maia*
Maia is a little girl with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. She has many brothers and sisters. They are being raised by a single mother – their father was overwhelmed by poverty and abandoned the family. They live altogether in a single, small room. Their mother struggles to put food every day on the table. It is difficult to sleep, to wash, to do homework – everything is hard!
George*
George is a cute, talkative little boy in first grade. He has an older brother in second grade and a younger sister. His mother, who is illiterate, is raising the three children on her own as their father died two years ago.
Luana*
Luana is six years old. She always seems sad. Her parents are working abroad, in Italy. Luana and her little brother have stayed in three different families up until now – their aunts and their grandparents.
Lack of support in school
In our community of Panatau, there are many children like Maia, George or Luana. Their childhood, which should be full of play, learning, love, and hope is overshadowed by poverty, longing for missing parents, domestic violence and hard work for their age. Many of them go to sleep with an empty stomach and reach school still hungry.
Many of these children have difficulty concentrating in school and are bursting with energy that often expresses itself in aggressive ways. The school system does not teach children how to control their energy, solve conflicts peacefully, or express themselves. Rather they are expected to sit still and memorize the information being presented. This style of education fails to captivate the interest and motivation of children for learning. Rather they become habituated to switching off when they don’t understand something. It can be very difficult for them to read, as they are not stimulated to discuss and understand the material, but rather simply copy it. In the meantime, they struggle with many emotional problems, due to tensions in their family life, or with other children. Even though the three children described were fictional cases, their stories reflect the reality that we meet at the beginning of each school year when new children join the Fountain of Hope after-school center.
Why the children love coming to the Fountain of Hope
For the past ten years, more than 400 children have enjoyed the services offered by the center. When they finish school, a hot meal and delicious dessert, prepared with love by our cook Dorina, are waiting for them. Next, Andreea, our tutor and Larisa, the social worker, help the children with homework and through different activities, help the children discover hidden talents. The warm, loving atmosphere of the center helps them to forget their problems and feel valued. We are also pleased that a new psychologist, Ana has joined our team and will be organizing discussions on themes like bullying, violence, learning to understand our emotions and other therapeutic activities.
Fond memories
…Why is it only called a center? For me, it was my second home. There I was fed, helped with homework, and safe. Every day, the program included an activity to help us to relax and learn something new. The food that we received was exactly what we needed after a morning of hard work at school” – some nice thoughts from a girl that attended the Fountain of Hope for several years and now is attending a well-known high school in the area.
You can offer a brighter future to these children!
By becoming a sponsor, you can be the one that helps these children to have a better future!
Your donation will help a child like Maia, George or Luana, to continue their studies. The support their family receives when they come to the center helps to reduce the risk that they will be taken out of their homes into the child protection system, thus being separated from parents and siblings. The center also helps them to gain practical life skills, which will help them to better integrate into society in the future.
Help Maia, George or Luana have a memorable childhood
It is easy to become a monthly sponsor. Choose the amount that you would like to donate from the list below, or choose any other amount which is comfortable.
- To ensure access to recreational activities and homework support: $15/ month
- To offer a child a daily warm, healthy meal: $25 / month
- To offer full access to warm meals and the center’s activities $40 / month
- Other amounts are also welcome: donate here and fill in the amount you wish to repeat monthly
* The names of the children are changed to protect their privacy.