One of the most memorable moments I've
had in Ghana, and definitely one of the most meaningful to me, was
when I had the opportunity to participate in an interview with two of
the children who are in the Mawulolo Youth Network Scholarship
Program.
Mawulolo Youth Network (MYN) is an NGO
based in Accra, Ghana that serves the members of the Christian
Village community. The main goal of Mawulolo Youth Network is to
provide an education for the underprivileged in the community in
hopes of eradicating poverty in Christian Village. Three times a week, the children in Christian Village come to MYN for an after school
program. I am one of the several volunteers for MYN who come to teach
different age groups in the after school program. I have been
teaching kindergarteners for the past few months and I have
absolutely loved every second of it.
In addition to the after school program
that MYN offers to the children of the Christian Village community,
MYN also has a scholarship program that is available to the children.
The scholarship is funded by sponsors, and is given to those
in the community who would otherwise not be able to afford school.
The scholarship covers the school fees for them, and also covers the cost of other things, such as books.
As I mentioned earlier, about a month
ago I was able to sit in on an interview between two of the
scholarship recipients, their grandparents, the MYN team, and some of
my fellow volunteers. We sat with them and listened to them talk
about how receiving this scholarship has changed their lives. They
mentioned how having their school fees paid for took a burden off of
their grandparents, whom they live with, and they talked about how
because they received this scholarship they are more eager and
passionate about learning. They talked about how much of a difference
having this scholarship has made in their pursuit of an education.
They concluded by discussing with us their love for science and their
dreams for what they want to do in the future. Their grandparents
repeatedly thanked the MYN team for the ability for their
grandchildren to be sponsored and receive this scholarship, and they
thanked myself and the other volunteers for what we are doing for the
children.
For those of you who don't know, I have
been sponsoring a child through Compassion International for over two
years now, and I read all the time about how much of a difference the
sponsorship is making. Sponsoring through Compassion provides
children with an education, medical access, nutrition, safety, and a
chance to learn about Jesus. I know that. I read it. I hear about it.
I get mail that tells me all about the difference I am making in a
child's life, and I even get letters from my sponsored child herself,
but it was not until I got to Ghana, and more specifically not
until I had the opportunity to be a part of that interview, that I
truly understood the difference that sponsorship makes in a
child's life.
Hearing first hand the difference that
it makes for a child to be able to receive an education made me think
about the difference it makes for a child being sponsored through
Compassion to not only receive access to an education, but also
everything else I just mentioned. I can't describe it, I wish I
could. But it does so much more than I can put into words. It gives
them hope. It gives them a chance to escape poverty. It gives them
the ability to overcome the many obstacles they are facing. It
enables them to live out their fullest potential. It enables them to
become a doorway of hope for the others following behind them, who
may find themselves in similar situations.
I know that reading about
the difference you can make in a child's life does not come close to
hearing it come from their own mouth, but try to let it sink in. It's
easy to read that sponsorship changes lives and then continue on with
your day without giving it a second thought. But don't do that. Don't
brush it off. Don't ignore the facts. Don't let this just be another
post you read without putting any action behind it. Let this time be
different.
If you've never thought about
sponsoring a child before, think about it. Pray about it. See what
God is calling you to do. If you've thought about it, but have been
putting it off, ask yourself why. Read my story of how I started sponsoring, and let the Lord move your heart. See what He wants you
to do, and stop making excuses. You never know who's life you will be
impacting.
If you are interested in sponsoring a
child's education with Mawulolo Youth Network's Scholarship Program,
or if you are interested in sponsoring a child in poverty through
Compassion International, feel free to ask me, or visit their
websites, for more information.
Mawulolo Youth Network:
www.mawuloloyouthnetwork.org
Compassion International:
www.compassion.com
Find out what kind of difference you
can make in a child's life, and then do it. ❤
"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
-Isaiah 58:10
In Christ,
Elisha
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