Care workers are the core of GlobalFingerprints’ work in the lives of children. The care workers face many challenges, often experiencing the same hardships as the children they serve. Yet they continually push through, going beyond the scope of their responsibilities to care for the children they love and serve. There are too many stories to include here, so we’ll just share these two examples of the impact care workers have.
In Liberia, Jacob*, the program manager, was visiting school with Chloe*, the Liberia Site Coordinator. Jacob saw a young girl on the side of the road outside the school walls selling Kool-Aid. He started talking with Katia* and found out she was 10 years old and hadn’t been in school for three years. When she was in school, she was at the top of her class. So, they found her mom, who was also selling Kool-Aid. The mom said that if Katia got sponsored she could stop selling Kool-Aid and go to school. So, Jacob brought her into the school and got her registered right then and there, before she was even sponsored. Chloe shared this photo of Katia with Jill* and Sarah*, two of the care workers. “I thought this picture was so special,” Chloe says. “As I looked closer, I saw their hands, the hands of these two care workers. It was so powerful for me, to think about how these hands represent the love and care and protection for our sponsored kids that come into the program. These two strong Christian women are going to be there for Katia, to protect her and make sure she still goes to school even when she’s tired or discouraged. They are coming alongside Katia’s mom as she’s parenting her.” Katia got sponsored within a few weeks of her getting registered in the program. She loves learning and playing jump rope with her friends. She recently wrote her sponsor: “Getting into this program was the best thing that ever happened to me, so thank you.”
Care workers are there from day one for children entering the program, and they are there for years, walking alongside children like Boyle*. Boyle was dropped off in the bush at a train station when he was about three years old. He was brought to the Sara Rose children’s home (our partner in Zambia) where he has lived ever since. Over the years he developed a lot of bitterness and had no hope in his life. The care workers and Pastor David* from the local church invested lots of time in caring for and loving Boyle. Through these relationships, he experienced love for the first time and what it was like to have adult relationships and people who were concerned for him. Pastor David has been like a father to him. Boyle is now 14 years old and has accepted Christ. Just a few months ago, there was a group of six children who were baptized, and he was one of them. One of the changes the staff have noticed is his smile. Before, he never smiled. He’s doing well at school and is ready to start his secondary education, with dreams of becoming a doctor someday. Along with those dreams, he is having regular devotions, sharing what he learns with his friends and others, and doing chores at home. He gives back to those around him. It’s a beautiful transformation.
This is the impact that care workers can have on the children in our program. They support, love, encourage and walk alongside the children and their families to be the practical hands and feet of Christ. This is why it’s so important to us to work through local churches and help equip the Body to be transformational in their communities. Sponsorship is empty without care workers and the local church being present and real in children’s lives.