We are proud to present this inspirational story by Silvano Assanga, a formerly sponsored child.

I lost my father at the age of 4, and it was predicted that we would end up in the streets as beggars. He was our sole breadwinner, and he did not leave much to be inherited upon his death. We did not have well-off relatives, either. The thought of attaining higher education from such a background was therefore not real back then.

It is now real. In August 2010, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi. Having pursued my studies from such an institution, I consider my story to be one of luck and God’s love.

When Compassion began recruiting needy children in Western Kenya, my aunt pleaded with them to consider me for the program. I was staying with her and she informed them that I was a needy case.

My mother depended on hawking bananas at the market to fend for her family of seven children. I was therefore enrolled in the program and my sponsor, Ashleigh began helping me through Tear Fund in New Zealand.

Ashleigh later got married to Andrew, and their support and prayers have enabled me to be what I am. As a sponsored child, we never met face to face, but they trusted me with their resources like their favorite child. They have not only financed my education up to university, but they are also concerned about my future progress.

Like my biological parents, they have kept close ties with me. Such trust, such concern, such love is hard to come by in our society. It is what makes me feel that my story is worth telling.

I was only 6 when Ashleigh became my sponsor. She was a nursing student. She chose to better my life by sparing part of her pocket money for me.

It may not have been much then, but it saved me from heading to the streets as a beggar. That is what encouraged me to become one of the top students in primary school. I studied hard in knowledge that my life depended on it.

Since my aunt whom I was staying with was illiterate, she also encouraged me to work hard so that I could read and write letters for her. I grew up inspired that since so much was being invested in me, much would be required from me too.

I realized how lucky I was when I visited home during weekends and holidays and learned that my siblings and other village mates were having problems with school fees. They could not even afford text books and stationary.

In our family, the siblings depended on my mother, Pauline. She had to hawk bananas and divide the meager earnings between food and school necessities. I was therefore a special child since my uniform was always new, and I never missed classes due to lacking certain items required at school.

In other schools in the village, students had to share old textbooks. A class of 40 or 50 pupils could have less than 10 textbooks.

That was not the case in our school. Thanks to our sponsors, we had enough books, which we shared with other pupils. We had everything we needed to concentrate on our education.

Unlike other students who used to rush home at lunchtime and come back late in the afternoon, the child development center organized a lunch program for us, too!

Such care enabled me to perform better in my studies. From a family of seven – five brothers and two sisters, only my eldest brother and I managed to proceed to secondary school.

I am now the first one from the family to have attained a university education! I can picture myself spruced in graduation attire, receiving my diploma in the presence of my tearful mother and friends. I still recall the long prayers she used to say, asking God to uplift her family.

She never failed to pray for my sponsors. To her, they were my parents from a distant land. They were not materially wealthy. They helped because they were rich at heart! There were considerably well-off people in our society, but my help had to come from distant lands!

There were some obstacles on my path, too. Even though my sponsors maintained their support when I joined secondary school, the development center introduced a new policy that required parents to share education costs. I had joined a prestigious high school in our area, but I had to drop out due to my inability to pay the fees.

I enrolled in another school whose academic performance was not as superior as the previous one. The school lacked adequate facilities and furthermore, I was still required to pay some fees.

Against my expectations of passing highly, I ended up with a grade of C+ in my final examinations. I considered it a big disappointment. The grade did not reflect my true academic ability. Most of my friends in my previous school had better grades and proceeded to universities while I faced a rough end of life at home.

A year after completing secondary school I was departed from the development center for claims of being undisciplined. It seemed to be the end of my ambition of becoming a journalist. And I could not write to my sponsors anymore.

Even though I still loved reading and writing, pursuing higher education became a mere dream. I began helping my mother in her bread winning efforts and worked as a hawker, an assistant in a research institution, and a part-time teacher among other undertakings.

I bought books from my small wages and converted my room into a library just to retain my academic mood.

Celebrating with brother Wilberforce

“Silvano,” my mother would say whenever she saw me preoccupied in the “library,” “your addiction to books is not in vain. You will go to college one day and you will not even believe it.”

I believed the words were merely meant to uplift my spirits. My dismissal from the development center had closed college doors for me. I wrote articles for a local daily, the Kenya Times, just to keep my journalistic skills alive.

I also wrote poems and short stories, some of which were published in overseas anthologies.

While I was working on my stories one day, a thought struck. What if I searched for my sponsors? Would they be willing to assist me?

I decided to write to Compassion’s head office in Colorado Springs. It was a long letter in which I narrated my story and requested them to contact the sponsors on my behalf.

A long period of silence followed. I kept checking my e-mails but there was no communication. The silence led to my conclusion that my efforts were unsuccessful.

I was however shocked one day when I opened my inbox and saw the e-mail. I could not believe it. I reread it several times in order to prove that it was from my sponsors!

Compassion had alerted them to my desire to communicate, and now I was reading their e-mail!

When I showed it to my mother, she was not amazed as I expected. Instead she held my hands and prayed. Then she spoke assuredly:

“I knew you would unite with them one day”

That was in early September 2004. August, six years later, I graduated from USIU with an aggregate GPA of 3.75 (magna cum laude). I was also the second-best student in my journalism class.

When I graduated, my mother and my friends were present to celebrate with me. My sponsor came too. Andrew had flown in to witness the great event.

I know that the only way I can express my gratitude to my sponsors for helping me as a child and for reconnecting with me to support and encourage me even more is through hard work. Currently, I am an Intern at USAID in Nairobi. And I keep praying and working hard for success.

On behalf of the children you sponsor, thank you for loving us and giving us opportunities to succeed.

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Green is the color of nature. It represents balance and symbolizes self-respect, growth and harmony. It also symbolizes freshness – like a fresh opportunity, a chance to succeed and break the cycle of poverty.

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When we seek to relieve the wants and misery of others we are blessed. Giving out of a generous heart enables us to escape the hold material things and money have over us. Joyful giving frees us from our disappointment and lifts us up out of our emptiness when financial success eludes us or fails to satisfy our souls.

“A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” – Proverbs 22:9 (NIV)

How has this Scripture been true in your life? Does it have any relevance?

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“When outliers become outliers it is not just because of their own efforts. It’s because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances.” – Malcolm Gladwell

Vallarasu is an outlier.

Vallarasu hails from Srivalliputhur. He is now 30 years old. Though his physique suggests that he is very soft guy, his words are weighty and powerful. There is a passionate boldness in his face.

Vallarasu’s dad was a shopkeeper and sold household goods. When Vallarasu was 6 years old, his father was murdered by a gang. Thereafter, the family suffered greatly. They had no money to afford even one square meal a day.

One year after the murder, Vallarasu’s mother committed suicide, and Vallarasu and his two sisters were left orphans. His two sisters were brought up by an uncle, but Vallarasu was left behind in the streets.

Compassion found him in the streets, and he was taken into St. Andrews Child Development Center. The center supported him so he could study in the school. The school had a hostel facility, so the center provided him with not only education, but also gave him shelter, food and comfort.

The problems that Vallarasu experienced as a little child instilled a deep burden within his heart. He developed a burning desire to help orphans and desolate children. He took the initiative in solving every little conflict that arose among the children at St. Andrews, and even teachers marveled at his efficiency.

Some teachers commented, “In the future, you will become a big leader in the society.” While others said, “I am sure you will stand as an advocate speaking for thousands in days to come.”

In the moving wheel of life, the time came for Vallarasu to depart from the child development center to pursue his higher studies. He went to a place called Madurai in Tamilnadu and began working as a lab assistant in Lady Doak College as well as studying for his bachelor of arts degree.

During his college days, he continued to speak for the oppressed. And finally, his long-awaited dream came to be fulfilled. He got an opportunity to study for a bachelor of law degree.

Since then, Vallarasu has worked in various social welfare organizations. He worked for a social welfare organization called People’s Watch, wherein he spoke on behalf of the people for safeguarding human rights and thus prevented the violation of human rights.

Now, Vallarasu is practicing law under a senior lawyer at the Law Association, Madurai. He has also written an examination for Legal Advisor in the court in the Department of Intelligence Bureau and he is awaiting the results. If he gets that job, he will be placed in High Court.

Currently, Vallarasu is involved in issues like delivering children from the bondage of child labor or bonded labor.

A few years back, a child was thrown away in the garbage. A family picked up the child and took care of him. When the child grew to be 5 years old, they made him work and beg in the marketplace.

When this news reached Vallarasu’s ears, he, with his influence, reported the matter to the police and the child was redeemed from that family and handed over to an organization called Children’s Care. Now the child is studying there happily.

In his village at Madurai, there was a children’s home for orphans. A political leader was always hindering the running of this home. As a young man, Vallarasu went and approached the politician. He spoke to him and convinced him to stop hindering the home. Eventually, the political leader himself became a sponsor for the home.

There is a village called Ponthambuli, where Vallarasu’s mother was born. There was a constant struggle between two groups of people in that village (high caste and low caste). The high caste people were not allowing the low caste people to go across their village that had a good road and transport facility. So, people had to walk for an hour on the agricultural land. This problem existed for almost 20 years.

When Vallarasu came to know about this matter, he spoke to the village leaders. He also took some people along with him and spoke to the government officials and collector. There was an immediate response from the government, and the road was laid within a week and transportation facilities were made available.

Vallarasu proudly says, “It is Compassion that gave me the strength and heart to speak for the speechless people across this nation.”

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UPDATED: Nov. 18, 2011 – We also have a photo essay from the Compassion Bloggers trip to Ecuador which asks the same question; What is poverty?

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As part of our Moody Scholarship program, the students have opportunities to speak at various events throughout the country. (If you’ve ever had the chance to hear them, then blessed are you! If you haven’t – I hope you have an opportunity soon.)

Summertime is especially busy for our young speakers because they have a break from school and because summer is when many events and festivals occur.

Anyway, the challenge we face this summer is to find housing for the students. We’re collecting contact information for folks who want to help by hosting one of these amazing Leadership Development Program graduates.

If you are interested in hosting a student during the summer or during an upcoming school break, or even just being a friend to them while they are studying at Moody, please e-mail me at moodymasters@us.ci.org. I expect we will have two students to host for the entire summer and, hopefully, three students for a few weeks at the end of the summer.

We prefer that you live in Colorado Springs or Denver because we want the students to be close to our Global Ministry Center in Colorado Springs, but if we can’t find help in our area, then we’ll have to find help somewhere else!

As I mentioned before – everything with the Moody Scholarship program is brand new, so we have a lot of learning to do and lots of ground to break! Please consider this your formal invitation to grab a shovel and help us break some ground.

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Outliers are men and women who do things out of the ordinary. And in the book Gladwell delves into what makes outliers successful.

Conventional wisdom says success comes from drive, skill and talent, which is true, but not by themselves. Drive, skill and talent aren’t worth a dime without opportunity. Success is a team sport.

“When outliers become outliers it is not just because of their own efforts. It’s because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances.” – Malcom Gladwell

Outliers looks at the success of geniuses, business tycoons, rock stars, athletes and software programmers. And the common denominator in all the examples of success Gladwell gives, the foundational bedrock in EVERY SINGLE CASE, is that an opportunity was made available – because of geography, timing, economics, circumstance, etc.

But you shouldn’t have to read Outliers to see that. You can keep reading this blog … because opportunity is an integral part of what Compassion is about.

• Lives Transformed
• Geography Lessons
• It’s About More Than Survival
• Leadership Development in the Dominican Republic
• Anthony Njoroge: a life changed by opportunity

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They knew only how to survive in the deep jungle, building homes from fresh banana leaves. They would sleep on the leaves and use them as a roof to protect from the rain and dew at night.

If they could not find food in the area nearby, they would move on deeper into the forest. They would wander in the forest, staying together in small groups. Education, a house, and clothing were of no value to them, as they had no use for these things living in the forest.

The isolated tribe was also afraid of strangers. If they met any outsiders, they moved away immediately, like spirits. They lived like this for centuries, the last nomadic tribe to survive in the northern forests of Thailand and Laos.

This hill tribe calls themselves the “Malabri,” which means aboriginal people. But they are known as the “spirits of the yellow leaves.” The city dwellers observed that this group only stayed in one place five to ten days, just long enough for the leaves the Malabri used for their temporary houses to turn yellow after they left.

Increasingly, the Malabri could not find food in the forests for their daily meals. The forests were, and still are, disappearing; approximately 80 percent of the forest has been destroyed by slash and burn farming. The life of hunting and gathering that the Malabri practiced for centuries can no longer keep them alive.

Today, the population of the Malabri is less than 250. The government has noticed their plight and established two places for the Malabri to live in small villages in the northern part of Thailand.

In 1997, the Malabri moved from a nomadic life in the jungle to life in the village. There are no Malabri left in the jungle.

Compassion has been working in this area with the Malabri children since July 2001, and there are 48 Malabri children registered with Compassion.

Traditionally the Malabri, who were afraid of strangers, did not trust anyone who came to their tribe. An isolated and shy tribe, the Malabri had no religion and had never heard the gospel.

A local church member, Mr. Sornkreree, befriended the tribe. He wanted to share the good news of Christ with them. About 15 years ago, he organized for his church’s Christmas party to be held in the deep jungle. So he talked to the Malabri’s leader to gather the people in one place for the party.

Every year after that, Mr. Sornkrerre held the Christmas party in the jungle. However, his mission was not very fruitful until Compassion gave him a helping hand.

Mr. Sornkreree is now the director of the Compassion child development center, and many members of the “yellow leaf” tribe have been blessed by the help of Compassion. A great example of this can be seen in the life of Wan.

After Wan’s father settled down in the village, he faced many new hardships. The members of the “yellow leaf” tribe have never lived outside the forest before.

Wan’s father could not speak the local language and did not have any knowledge about farming or agriculture. He did not own any farmland, so he had to work for other local people. He became the poorest of the poor in the area.

Initially, Wan came to the Compassion child development center just to get some food to fill her empty stomach. However, in time she received more than physical help.

“The student center taught me to bathe and have personal hygiene. My family did not know how to bathe. My parents said that when they lived in the jungle they did not bathe because they had to hunt, and if they took a bath they were afraid that the animals would recognize the difference and would run away.”

Poor hygiene is one of the threats to this people, leading to illness and poor health. Mr. Sornkrerre says,

“We mainly focus on personal hygiene. For the ‘yellow leaf spirit’ we invited a doctor to teach them, but it did not change their lifestyle. So every Saturday, the Compassion staff would bathe every ‘yellow leaf spirit’ child before the children attended their activities. We did this for almost 10 years until we began to see the changes.”

Bathing was not the only obvious change among the “yellow leaf” people. Changes were also made regarding their clothing and diet.

In an area where malnutrition is a serious issue, the Compassion child development center taught them how to cook nutritious food and the importance of a nutritious diet. According to Mr. Sornkreree,

“The ‘yellow leaf spirit’ people did not know how to wear clothes, so in the beginning when the development center gave them clothes, they hung them in trees or threw them away. Now the children and parents have adapted to wearing clothes to cover themselves to adapt to the new culture they are now a part of.”

The Malabri live in a village of just other Malabris, but the nearby tribes are Hmong. At first, the Hmong viewed the Malabri as lower than them, viewing them as workers. As a member of a small and seemingly strange minority group, people often would insult Wan. But Wan says she was never discouraged.

“There are some people who look down on me and say that I am lower than them because I am apart of a hill tribe and come from a poor family. I don’t take it seriously because in my perspective, everybody is the same,” Wan says with pride, which could be seen radiating from her entire face.

Living in a rural area, the children had less opportunity to develop in education. But the Compassion child development center provides various activities, tutoring classes such as English, math, Thai, typing, computer and music.

The center also gives advice and encourages children to continue studying further in secondary school.

In the past, it was normal for female members of the “yellow leaf spirit” tribe to marry when they turned 12. Wan says,

“When I saw my friends expecting their children, I felt sorry for them. I wanted them to study and attend the student center so they would realize that education is more important than marriage at this age.”

Wan has gone from being a poor “yellow leaf” girl to now having a big dream for her future — to be a teacher.

“I want to come back and teach children in my village to have knowledge. I have a dream to develop my hometown.”

Before the last decade, there were no or very few Christians among the Malabri. Mr. Sornkreree’s church, which started in 1995 by the Hmong tribe, now has 140 members, mainly from the Malabri tribe. The two people groups in the church now view each other as brothers and sisters.

Wan is now a Christian, too. She helps run Sunday services at her church. She decided to accept Jesus Christ when she was in second grade. She could not keep the good news to herself, so she shared the gospel with her family. God softened her parents’ hearts, and they came to their Heavenly Father.

Wan’s pastor, Pastor Saedum says,

“Wan is a strong Christian. She helps us teach Bible class for little children and lead worship at church. She is the first youth group member from the ‘yellow leaf spirit’ tribe and is willing to help every time I ask. She is faithful in her commitment and dedication to the church and its people and has never missed church. Wan has the potential to be a leader, and I believe that she will be a good teacher who can help her tribe in the future. I am very proud of her and impressed by her.”

Without Compassion, Wan’s life would have been radically different. She might have ended up just like her parents, with no opportunity for education and married at a young age. She would have had to work in a field all day, carrying the responsibilities of an adult at such a young age. Her dream to become a teacher might have been like a bubble flying in the air without direction.

Wan’s father says that the child development center is good for his daughter, giving her opportunities for education and development.

Thanks to Compassion, we can make an incredible difference in the life of a little “yellow leaf” girl. Wan is the hope and the beautiful seed for her tribe, the “yellow leaf spirits.”

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And like many other aspects of poverty, HIV and AIDS have the ability to take a frightening toll on children.

Today is World AIDS Day, and I’m taking it as an opportunity to let you know how committed we are to fighting the disease.

It begins with our AIDS Initiative program, which is working on a grassroots level through the local church to take on the AIDS pandemic, one child at a time.

Ok, pause.

AIDS Initiative, pandemic, poverty . . . I don’t like throwing around these words. It is easy to just roll over the keyboard and punch out the words. But can you imagine? I mean really, can you even imagine what it is like to be infected with HIV or affected by AIDS?

To better understand the effect HIV and AIDS have on people, particularly people in the developing world, and to get a better glimpse into what the Lord is doing through Compassion, I think we need to unpack a few details. I hope your mind is engaged and your heart is prepared because I am about to give you just that.

Now, as I was saying, our AIDS Initiative works to aid one child at a time. For example, this child:

One morning, 13-year-old Meskerem, a Compassion-sponsored girl in Ethiopia, woke up complaining of fatigue. The top student with a winning smile and personality said, “I thought I was coming down with a cold and that it would just go away.” But a few days later, Meskerem found herself in the ICU ward of the local hospital.

The doctors suspected that the girl’s persistent cough was the result of tuberculosis, brought on by the kind of compromised immune system that HIV infection causes. A subsequent test, given at the permission of her mother, Aberash, revealed the truth: Meskerem had HIV.

After the shocking diagnosis, the doctors scrambled to save Meskerem’s life, which was quickly slipping away. “It was hard to believe this brilliant, healthy girl could come so close to death in such a short period of time,” says Ato Cherent, her Compassion center’s health worker.

Ato stayed by Meskerem’s bedside day and night, praying for God’s help while the critically ill girl underwent transfusions and other procedures to bring her back from the brink.

When she was finally well enough to go home, her mother broke the news to Meskerem. Meskerem later explained, “I felt so sad when I heard about my condition,” she says. “But at the same time, I was glad I was still alive, and I believe Jesus was holding me by the hand when I came face to face with death.”

For the past two years, Meskerem has been taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) twice a day, every day. Her mother is also HIV-positive and on ART. But through all the hardship, the faith of mother and daughter is steadfast.

“God didn’t abandon us, and He will never do so,” says Aberash. “Compassion provides us with nutritional support, medical treatment and education for my daughter. God in His infinite mercy also gave my little girl a second chance. What more could I want?”

And there are hundreds more stories just like this. But if you want more concrete information to help understand the affect the AIDS Initiative is having in the developing world, I have that too.

• Over 2,700 HIV positive children in Africa are receiving support through the AIDS Initiative.
• 1,261 of these children are receiving antiretroviral treatment as well as many life-saving benefits through Compassion.
• Over 16,000 HIV positive caregivers and siblings of Compassion sponsored children are being supported through the Initiative.
• 43 percent of caregivers and siblings in Africa are also receiving antiretroviral treatment.

Ok, wait. What is antiretroviral treatment and how is Compassion’s provision of this treatment different from the approach other organizations take?

I asked Amy Metzger, our senior international health program specialist.

“Compassion’s support for HIV positive children and those living with AIDS is special because we meet the needs that are often unmet. While most governments are now providing ART, we realize that this alone is not enough.

We offer nutritional support, CD4 count testing, psychosocial support, treatment of opportunistic infections and transportation assistance, along with income generation support and housing repair when needed.

Health workers follow up with home visits to monitor a child’s home environment, the treatment progress and work to address any needs a child may have.

These are the critical components that keep the children alive. Our program is holistic and considers the full range of needs of those that are HIV positive and those affected by this pandemic.”

Wow! That sounds pretty comprehensive to me.

More importantly, even though many children in our care are not infected, their lives and well-being are jeopardized by HIV infections within their families and communities.

Therefore, our response to HIV and AIDS extends beyond prevention of new infections and treatment of the infected, to include care for those whose lives are indirectly affected by the pandemic.

Ok, I know that was a lot to take in. But can you believe, in the midst of such horrifying circumstances the kindness and provision of the Lord that is going forth? And He is using you to make the difference!

Help us spread awareness about our AIDS Initiative — please add this widget to your blog and social networking profiles.

While you’re at it, please make a donation to our AIDS Initiative program to help more children like Meskerem.

Special thanks to Tigist Gizachew, Compassion Ethiopia’s field communications specialist for the story and photos about Meskerem.

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