Compassion photojournalists Javier Elis in Guatemala and J. Sangma in Bangladesh sat down to ask children and fathers about their mutual love, dreams and memories. Here are some sweet quotes from their interviews.
Uheimong and His Father, Aungchinghla
This father-son duo lives in Bangladesh, where Uheimong is sponsored in Compassion’s program.
Q&A With Uheimong, 12
Q: What does your father always tell you?
A: My father always tells me to study hard and be a good person to everyone around me.
Q: What makes your father sad?
A: When he sees that I am in pain, he feels sad. But in that time, he is always with me.
Q: What do you and your father like to do together?
A: We like to spend time under the big tree near our home together. Sometimes we spend hours talking under the shade of the tree.
Q: What’s your favorite memory with your father?
A: My favorite memory of my father is when I had gone with him to the market for the first time. He gave me my first cricket bat.
Q&A With Aungchinghla
Q: What’s your dream for your child?
A: I’ve always dreamed of educating my child more than what I have done myself.
Q: How will Compassion’s support help them to pursue that dream?
A: We always get Compassion’s support for getting the monthly hygiene and stationary supplies in addition to their tuition fees, which has helped me save two-fourths of what I earn. … With Compassion’s support, I’m confident that my son will go further than I can imagine.
Q: What are you experiencing now that wouldn’t have been possible before without the project’s support?
A: One of the most important supports that we get from Compassion is the medical support, due to which my child is alive today. Because of the support, my child is with us and our dreams live on. My child has a future and you never know, he may become the first doctor in our village. With Compassion’s support, I can use the savings for my younger daughter’s education; it’s a win-win for me.
Q: What’s your favorite memory of your child? Your proudest moment?
A: When I was able to send my son to school, it was my proudest moment. I feel proud to know that my son has the capability to learn from school unlike many children whose parents aren’t able to send them to school. My son is a very quick learner and it makes me proud to be his father.
Thatiana and Her Daddy, Remberto
Thatiana lives with her sisters and their parents in eastern Guatemala. She loves to play güiro, a Latin American percussion instrument, with her father, Remberto, who is a local Christian musician. Thatiana joined Compassion’s program when she was 3.
Q&A With Thatiana, 7
Q: What do you and your father like to do together?
A: My family and I have a church band, so I love to play music with my daddy leading the group.
Q: How do you know your father loves you?
A: I know that my father loves me when he plays with me and hugs me.
Q: What’s your favorite memory with your father?
A: On my last birthday, we went to the park and played with my sisters. I love the park.
Q: How would you answer this question: Thank you, Dad, for …
A: Thank you, Daddy, for playing with me, making me happy, and taking me to the park, pool and soccer field.
Q&A With Remberto
Q: What’s your dream for your child?
A: My dream for Thatiana is to stay involved in the Christian life, to be a professional and to keep playing music.
Q: How will Compassion’s support help them to pursue that dream?
A: Supporting my child spiritually, making her responsible and leading her to a better life.
Q: What do you think your most important role is as a father?
A: Being a good example to the children, teaching the Word of God and the joy to follow him.
Q: What’s your favorite memory of your child? Your proudest moment?
A: Her last birthday was so special, with a cake and piñata. It was an extraordinary moment for me. The proudest moment is when Thatiana began her studies.
José and His Father, René
José was enrolled at the center when he was 6 years old. Now 15, he loves the center’s technical projects and even received a scholarship to study computing. René, his father, lost his arms and legs in an electrical accident when he was a child. Despite that, René works as any person does.
Q&A With José, 15
Q: What makes your father happy?
A: What makes my father happiest is when I obey his advice and when I have good grades.
Q: What is your father good at?
A: My father is really good at fixing electronics and giving me useful advice.
Q: What do you and your father like to do together?
A: We love to work together, and we feed the chickens.
Q: How would you finish this sentence? Thank you, Dad, for …
A: Being patient with me, thanks for loving me and supporting me to be a good student. I know sometimes I’m stubborn or strong headed, but you still love me. Thank you, Dad.
Q&A With René
Q: What’s your dream for your child?
A: My dream for my José is seeing him graduate from high school and university.
Q: What’s your favorite memory of your child? Your proudest moment?
A: The favorite moment was when he began school, he quickly learned how to read.
Q: What’s something you wish your father had said to you?
A: I wish my father congratulated me on achievements in life, even though I don’t have arms or legs.
Q: What advice do you give them?
A: My advice is to learn the most he can at school and surpass myself to make better achievements than me to be a good professional when he grows up.
Baby and Her Father, Thowamu
This father-daughter pair lives in Bangladesh, where Baby is sponsored in Compassion’s program.
Q&A With Baby, 13
Q: What makes your father happy?
A: When I’m able to do all my work at school and home on time, my father is happy with me.
Q: What is your father really good at?
A: My father is good at making various things with bamboo. Even our home is made by his own hands.
Q: How do you know your father loves you?
A: He always brings back the small fish for me when I ask him to.
Q: What’s your favorite memory with your father
A: I used to fall sleep when all my family members will be talking to each other in the evening. At that time, my father used to pick me up and put me in bed. Sometimes, knowingly, I pretended to be asleep.
Q&A With Thowamu
Q: What is your dream for your child?
A: I always wish that my child will be a wise person when she grows up and always support our family.
Q: What are you experiencing now that wouldn’t have been possible before without the Compassion center’s support?
A: Because of Compassion, my worries for one child is taken off my shoulders. Today, I can feed all three of my children and my wife. I think that it is a big support that I wouldn’t have any other way.
Q: What do you think your most important role is as father?
A: Being a small-scale farmer, until now it has always been my priority to provide for my family. But after sending my children to school, I’ve come to know I have to do more than provide — give them love and protection.
Q: What’s something you wish your father had said to you?
A: I wish my father had encouraged me to go to school more often.
Q: What’s your favorite memory of your child? Your proudest moment?
A: The realization of my children already going beyond what I had learned at primary school makes me feel proud.
7 Comments |Add a comment
Amazing one. Thanks for sharing.
Amo as historias da compassivo. Grande reflexo do amor de Deus.
I did post a comment. Where did it go. Sally Akehi
Hi, Sally! Thank you for your previous comment! It had not shown up yet due to the fact that our comments require approval, and we had been out of the office over the weekend. Thank you for your patience and we apologize for any confusion the delay had caused. We are encouraged that you enjoyed this blog. ?
Hi. Just a short comment about Rene and Hose dialog. I think Rene’s 3d question is really about Rene’s feelings about his own father and wishing his own father had congratulated him (Rene) more often even though he had no arms or legs.
this whole section about fathers and children was very special to read and understand. thank you for posting it.
The happiest moment of my life was after my first visit to Hiwot Birhanu in Gondar, Ethiopia where she lives as an only child with her mother, her father is deceased. I was respectfully shaking hands saying goodbye when she suddenly threw her arms around me and said “Now you are my father!”
Warms my heart.