A former Compassion child’s heart broke every time he heard or saw his tribal people suffering from poverty. They had high debt from taking out loans. They worked hard but received low wages. They did not have knowledge to improve their lives.

Yamsuk could not sit still, do nothing and watch his people suffer. He had a strong desire to bring knowledge to help those poor, uneducated villagers.

Yamsuk was born into a hill tribe family on a high remote mountain in the north of Thailand. His relatives were illiterate poor farmers who did not have their own farmland. His father wanted to see his son gain an education.

Yamsuk’s father hoped that his son would one day have a stable job and receive good pay rather than work as a farmer like him, unable to make ends meet. But there was no school in Laoop village where they lived.

In 1964 Yamsuk’s father sent his son to register at Lamp Child Development Center in Mae Sa Riang town. The center opened for children who lived in rural areas where there were no local schools.

The development center allowed the children to stay in their facilities while studying at the school nearby. It provided Yamsuk with meals, spiritual activities, agricultural activities and a place to sleep.

Yamsuk’s father walked from his hometown for two days to bring 10 bags of rice, 2 kilos of chili, 5 liters of salt and 3 cents to pay for his son’s yearly school fee.

Yamsuk’s family was Christian but it was at the center where he was introduced to having a personal relationship with God and where he was baptized. The center supported him in several youth camps and helped him to walk and grow in the way of Jesus.

After Yamsuk graduated from the center and high school, he received a scholarship from the government to study agriculture and social development at the university. He had a burden to help poor villagers in remote areas.

Yamsuk decided to work with an non-governmental organization (NGO) on agriculture development. He taught the villagers to stop growing opium and provided them with knowledge on how to grow other crops. The organization gave funds to support the villagers to do agriculture.

But deep in his heart, Yamsuk knew just giving the villagers money was not a sustainable process to help them develop in the long term.

“I worked for many years but the money we provided for them was gone. I felt my work was worthless. The villagers spent the budget they received unprofitably because they did not have an ownership.”

Yamsuk resigned from the NGO after working for 10 years. He had a passion and dream for his hill tribe people to have something that belonged to them; something they could have ownership in, and something that could help them escape from poverty.

He also wanted to create a solution for the villagers’ high debt that was incurred when they borrowed money.

All too often, the villagers had been taken advantage of because they did not have knowledge. Some could not even take out loans from the bank since they did not have Thai citizenship.

In 1994, Yamsuk and his friends established a savings group organization called Micro Economic Development Foundation.

“I don’t have grants for the villagers but God gives me wisdom to help them. The most valuable thing for me is not money but the knowledge.”

Yamsuk traveled to the remote areas in northern Thailand to teach and encourage villagers about savings. It took him six months to establish the first members group.

The purpose of the savings group is to gather villagers who live in the same village to save money monthly. Money in the group is the villagers’ savings and they can borrow that money for paying school fees, investments in their farms, livestock, or to open a store.

The savings group interest rate is lower than the bank or other financial resources. Having the savings group, which is run by the villagers, gives them a sense of ownership and has helped improve their lives.

One savings group started with 74 members and 4,700 baht (around $155). The group grows constantly; after operating for 13 years, there are now more than 540 members with more than $180,000.

Piengput was a poor villager who, from a young age, had a dream to have her own shop. She nearly gave up pursuing her dream because she did not have a budget.

After Yamsuk came to the village to share the benefits of the savings group, Piengput did not hesitate to join.

Piengput deposited her savings each month to the savings group account and she borrowed money many times to invest in her little shop. Starting out with a small store  3-by-3 meters in size, she now owns the biggest store in the village.

Piengput has been saving her money with the group from the beginning and now she has more than $6,450 in the savings group account. She even brought more than 20 people from her family, friends and relatives to join the savings group.

The savings group helped her become free from debt and support her two children to study in schools in the city. It also helped her start her own business, which is the main source of income for the family.

The savings groups that Yamsuk has established are growing. There are 65 savings groups located in the remote areas working for the hill tribe people. Their total savings is more than $2.3 million.

“I don’t think to make anyone [the members of savings group] rich. If they are rich, they are rich of joy and happiness.

“I am very proud to work alongside the villagers. I sacrifice myself, my knowledge and my time into the savings groups. All my work wasn’t wasted. But it is growing and it can help poor villagers.

“I would like to pass my appreciation to my sponsor who gave me a chance to study. I promised myself that I would bring knowledge to help others. This is what God’s planned for me.”

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Kamal grew up in a rickshaw puller’s community. His father ferried passengers on a tricycle rickshaw to earn money for the household. They had a large family, with two of his uncles, one aunt and grandparents living with them in a small, one-roomed thatched home.

“My father was the only one earning because my grandparents were old and my uncles were still too young to start earning.”

It was difficult for Kamal’s father to send Kamal and his two siblings to school. Kamal had a dream beyond the world of a rickshaw puller. He wanted to become a minister of God, but the financial need in his home was far more real than his dream.

Seeing his father toil hard every day to bring home enough to feed everyone, Kamal had almost given up his dream and was going to follow in his father’s footsteps. It was then that a door of opportunity opened for him.

Kamal enrolled in our Child Sponsorship Program in 1991 at the age of 10. The program was called the Family Helper Project.

At that time, the sponsorship program was run differently than it is today. Kamal used to go to the center headquarters in Kolkata with his father to collect money that came from the sponsor once a month. The center staff would guide them on how to spend the money on Kamal’s education, for his needs in school and also for his development.

The Family Helper Project was different from the current child development centers in India, where children come to the center every day for a few hours. Kamal would come to the center every Saturday to give an account of what he did throughout the month, the challenges he faced, and he also learned about the love of God through spiritual activities like praise and worship and scripture study.

Kamal was born into a Christian home, but he did not know God until he enrolled in the sponsorship program. There was no family prayer at his home. He learned about the love and purpose of God from the staff at the center.

“I stayed away from Sunday school … was reluctant to read the scripture, pray and even come to church on Sundays, but my life began to change gradually …. I got a sponsor who was a pastor and cared for me and my future.”

In 2002 just before graduating from the Family Helper Project, Kamal got an opportunity to pursue a short-term course with help from Compassion. He decided to pursue social worker’s training in Allahabad.

He spent a year learning how God wanted him to minister to the broken hearted by walking close to their lives. He saw poverty and people living in tents beside garbage dumps without any proper shelter. It reminded him of God’s goodness in his life and how he was blessed because of his sponsor.

After coming back from the training, he expressed his vision to the church center and that he wanted to serve God by ministering to the children and teaching them about His love. God honored Kamal’s commitment and blessed him with the job of a social worker at the center.

Today, Kamal lives by example and inspires young children and older ones at the center to be faithful to God’s calling and to understand the essence of sponsorship. He translates letters for little children, helps them to write quality letters to their sponsors, visits children and their families in their home, and counsels them and teaches them to walk in the fear of God.

Children look up to Kamal with respect and hope to follow in his footsteps because of the life and testimony he carries to people around him who still don’t know God.

Kamal is happily married to Shabnam and they have two children. He is able to bring them up in the fear of God that he learned. Kamal takes joy in his work as a social worker. He enjoys spending time with children and their families as it helps him to relive the struggles that he once went through as a child.

“I am living God’s dream in my life today because of my sponsor’s love, affection and prayer for me. I learned to walk close with Him and God gave me a dream of reaching out to more children and broken hearts by being a social worker.”

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Formal education was not the path to fulfilling the dreams of 19-year-old Fausta. No matter how hard she tried, she never got good grades. While all the children around her seemed to grasp and enjoy the class work, Fausta had trouble comprehending the lessons, let alone enjoying them.

With the support of our staff, Fausta pushed on and tried her best to excel. However, when her Primary Leaving Examinations* results came back, she had failed. It was then that Fausta made a decision to discontinue formal education despite Compassion’s willingness to pay her school fees. She decided instead to train in tailoring.

At Nakatete Child Development Center, the center Fausta attends, children 12 years of age and older can choose vocational training in any area they want and the trainers will gladly take them through it. The program is optional and those who are not interested don’t join.

The center has classes for skills like weaving, crocheting and tailoring. The children make mats, micro hangers for flowers, tablecloths, handbags, door mats, dresses, skirts, shorts, shirts and blouses every alternating Saturday.

Out of 71 children in primary school who are of age, 53 have joined the vocational classes. The tailoring class has 10 boys and three girls, weaving has nine girls, knitting has 18 girls, making door mats has 10 boys, and broom making has seven boys and three girls.

Six of these children have also chosen to study more than one vocation. The vocational training, however, is not very popular with the children in secondary school.

“When they reach secondary school, the children refuse to continue with the trainings, saying it is for the illiterate. We have tried to sensitize them about the importance of the vocational trainings, but some of them do not take heed. So far we have 110 children in secondary school, but only 20 of these are in vocational training.” — Mrs. Olivia, the center director

While many show disinterest in the vocational classes, some are progressing and enjoying the benefits already. Fausta has now mastered the art of knitting tablecloths, tailoring and weaving mats, and has already sold some of her products.

“I joined the vocations class at the age of 12 and by the time I was 15 years old, I was able to make some products and sell them to sustain myself. The first profit I got was from selling three sets of tablecloths. When I got this money I used it to buy three chickens and started a chicken-rearing business. I used the rest of the money to buy clothes and shoes.”

One of Fausta’s chickens now has six chicks, and it represents just the beginning of her success in business. She joined a friend’s tailoring business to learn new designs of tailoring clothes and to upgrade from the basic tailoring of dresses, shirts, blouses and shorts that is taught at the center. Today, she has advanced to making gomesis, a traditional dress of the Baganda tribe and other tribes in central and eastern Uganda.

With this exposure, she has improved her skills to meet the standards of her customers. On average she gets $.90 per item of clothing that she sews at her friend’s business. Once in a while, though, she gets her own deals to make clothes and the profits are higher. The price depends on the design and type of fabric that is used.

So far she has made and sold seven gomesis. She sold them at different prices, an average of $2.65.

Fausta and her family also do not have to buy tablecloths and chair backs for their sitting room because Fausta has made them herself.

Fausta might not have pursued formal education, but she knows how to survive with what she has been equipped. Her dream is to start her own business and be able to get contracts to make school uniforms and start up a store selling gomesis.

She embodies dreams fulfilled for the staff members who take the time and effort to equip these children.

“We encourage all the children to join vocational trainings so that they can be economically self sustaining. For example, we expect that when children reach secondary school, they should be able to raise money to top up their school fees or get pocket money by selling the products they have learned to make.

“We also expect them to apply this knowledge in their homes. For example, why should parents spend money buying tablecloths when the children can make them?

“Some of them have indeed made us proud. One of the children who had mastered the skill of carpentry got a contract to make benches for this school. It was fulfilling to see that we didn’t have to outsource but could support our own.” — Olivia

The vocational classes begin at 2 p.m. after the children have had their lunch. Those that do tailoring rush to their small, busy room for lessons. The rest of the children who take crocheting and weaving find shade under a big tree. There they sit in different groupings depending on the work they are doing; knitting tablecloths, making mats, making brooms and making door mats.

Under the tree, they enjoy the cool breeze that sweeps over them. They giggle and practice what they were last taught until their instructor arrives. Their instructor, Betty, moves from child to child, keenly observing what each child does and correcting or complimenting his/her work.

One by one, they receive attention and get to ask all the questions they have about their work. From an observer’s point of view, the children are drawn into their work and they love it!

The children in the tailoring class share the sewing machines and learn together. Betty moves from one machine to another, giving them details of the foundational knowledge they need to make good products. She labors to explain to some of them who are still finding difficulty grasping the basics. Others need less supervision.

Twelve-year-old Jonathan is to finish making his first dress today. He is “over the moon” as he has been working on the dress since last year. His face beams with happiness as he shows off his dress. He is very alert when receiving guidance from his instructor.

Thirteen-year-old Henry is learning how to make brooms and door mats. He hopes to make some money out of this vocation so that he can support his one parent. The children learn with passion and hope. They know that one day this will pay.

At the child development center, the caregivers have a say in what vocations their children can take. Olivia says that before the center decides on what vocations to teach the children, the staff consult the parents.

“When selecting which vocations to teach, we do a needs assessment with the caregivers. We ask them to suggest vocations that are relevant for their children. We also consider a vocation that is relevant to community needs. We need to teach the children products that can be economically benefiting to them. Availability of human resource is another factor we consider. For example we wanted to have a bakery here but have not yet found a trainer.”

The future of the children is unknown. But the child development center is providing the opportunity and environment for the children to learn. The hope is that we have made a difference in the life of another child.

*Primary Leaving Examinations also serve as entrance exams into secondary (or high) school. Failure to pass these exams usually means a child cannot progress to secondary school, particularly at a good school. When a student has done poorly in exams, it is possible to take another year of the same class and sit for the examinations again.

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One of the goals for our Child Sponsorship Program is for every child to successfully graduate with faith in Christ and the necessary life skills to become self-sufficient.

Onidis, 20, is one of the many young people who have graduated from our Child Sponsorship Program in the Dominican Republic. He successfully completed the program last year, just after finishing high school. He attended the program from the time he was 7 years old until he was 19.

His development center, Buenas Nuevas Student Center in Pedro Brand, has provided vocational and technical training opportunities for their children since 1982. Hairdressing, acrylic nail styling, English, typing and banking are some of the vocational training classes offered to the students over the years.

At 13 years old, Onidis learned basic English at the Compassion center. After being trained on a computer and learning advanced typing, he had the skills to be a secretary. At the age of 18 he completed the technical courses on computer repair and maintenance.

Eighteen is the age when Dominican youth get their electoral and citizen’s ID card, an age of a lot of uncertainties and challenges. In the case of Onidis, it was a time of opportunity. He got a job in the human resources department for the Dominican Armed Forces Ministry. He is currently in charge of maintaining the staff data and the system itself.

Besides his formal job, Onidis also keeps a small computer repair shop at home. His experience and reputation has become well-known in his community.

With his jobs, Onidis is able to pay to study computer engineering at the O&M University in Santo Domingo.

Today, Onidis is an active member of the Pedro Brand Biblical Temple Church. He and other youth perform plays, poetry and sing specials at the regular church services. Even after leaving the child development center, he continues to demonstrate a commitment to the lordship of Christ.

Onidis has visited the center from time to time to help with the logistics for youth activities. And he installed the wiring in the center’s computer lab and the programs on the computers.

Onidis’ story reflects the importance of the Child Sponsorship Program, even for the youth who don’t move on to our Leadership Development Program. Through his attendance, he was able to develop a relationship with Christ, as well as develop vocational skills that have allowed him to not only become financially self-supporting, but also to serve his community.

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Almost a decade has passed since Vilma Canales completed Compassion Honduras’ Child Sponsorship Program, yet this 27-year-old woman still recalls those years as the best time of her life.

Growing up, Vilma lived with her mother and her two sisters, Sandra and Anahi, in Honduras’s western state of Copan, well-known for being the location of the Copan Ruins and home of the Mayan civilization.

Vilma’s childhood was normal despite the family’s lack of economic resources. Her mother was the backbone of the family, a hard-working, single mother who provided for her daughters until the last day of her life. Vilma and her sisters never knew their father.

When she was registered at the child development center, Vilma was a very shy girl. As time passed she overcame her shyness and became interested in knowing more about the Lord and the Bible.

“I came to the development center through my older sister who was working as a volunteer. It was in 1997 when I opened my heart to the Lord, the best decision that I have made in my life.”

As a child, the economic situation at home was difficult, and adding to the difficulty was the fragile health of Vilma’s mother. Vilma knew in her heart that she was not alone and that the Lord was in control of her family.

Just before passing away Vilma’s mother asked Vilma for two things: to look after her sisters and to do something good with her life.

“With the death of my mother, I felt lonely and hopeless. I was really concerned because I was left in charge of my sisters.

“It was quite difficult because of our lack of economic resources. I got a scholarship to finish my education because it was right when I was starting high school that my mother passed away. I worked as a volunteer at the church and received an offering that somehow helped me to feed my sisters.”

“During all that time I received nice words of encouragement, love and support from my sponsors, this lovely couple, for nearly 10 years. I thank God for their lives.”

Throughout the years, Vilma and her sisters have seen the hand of God in every need.

“God has been faithful to us. We are much better now because both of my sisters are working. I know that this is only the beginning of a better and new life for our family. I have seen the help of God all this time. Even in the worst times, He was always there providing for all our needs.”

Vilma completed the sponsorship period and was able to graduate from high school, but she wanted more and continued pursuing her dream of becoming a professional. She obtained a college degree from the National University of Honduras.

“I’m so happy that I fulfilled the promise that I made to my mother. I was able to accomplish this with few resources and hard work. I praise the Lord for this great blessing because I can inspire others to achieve their dreams, because anything is possible with God’s help.”

But there was also another wish in Vilma’s heart. She loves Compassion’s ministry and didn’t like the idea of being away from the children.

“I wanted to continue with this ministry because I consider myself a product of Compassion.”

So when the news came to Vilma that the Honduras country office was looking for a Partnership Facilitator for the western region, she was immediately interested and started to pray.

“I thought that this would be a great opportunity to continue with the organization and work for the children in my region. I went through some interviews with office staff, including the Country Director, and while going through all this I prayed a lot with all my heart for this position.”

Vilma was the strongest candidate for the position, and she received the job.

“I felt overwhelmed with so much joy and gratitude to the Lord, I started to cry. I was at the center and my pastor was with me when I received the news, and I still recall her words: ‘Vilma, the Lord blesses those who have been faithful’.”

Vilma is currently serving on the worship team in her congregation and enjoying life with her sisters. She hopes to support the churches she’s been assigned so they can continue with the holistic development of the children in their communities. Vilma knows Christ is needed in these communities and in this society.

“I’m going to serve 13 development centers in my area. It is great to be able to make this journey again and see many children coming up through the church with hopes and dreams.”

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