Ana - Compassion child's Story

Ana's Story "Poverty to prosperity"

Ana is an orphan living in a tiny coastal rural village in a developing country. She comes from a loving family whose lives were blown apart when she was only 2.

Ana's parents were happily married and expecting their third child. Ana had an older brother and another sister was due to be born. Things didn't go as planned there was no hospital nearby to source help and her Mum died giving birth to her little sister. The new little baby was weak and had sustained damage during the traumatic birth. She struggles and survived.

Her father broken and lost from loosing his wife and now responsible for three small children couldn't cope so took his son and left the 2 little girls in the care of their elderly grandparents. He never returned to the family or visited his daughters. They never saw him or their brother again. As a little girl both her grandparents worked as laborers on a plantation and in the plantations factory. As time passed by her grandfather now reaching his 80's and was not well enough to work so their grandmother was the sole income worker earning a tiny income to raise the 2 little girls with.

Ana joined the Compassion project when she was 3 and her sister due to the families tiny income and her additional needs also joined the program. Through the sponsorship program they were helped with food, meals every day at the center and when the time came for their education to start all their supplies, uniforms and levies were covered by Compassion.

Ana loved school although she found some subjects very difficult. Maths and Languages were always a challenge to her. She worked hard with her tutor at Compassion to overcome these barriers and always did her best. She had to sit exams in grade 6 to enter high school and spent many extra hours with her tutor studying as she wanted to finish her education and become a teacher.

With much joy she passed the entry exams and entered high school many miles away. To attend classes she had to rise early and travel by bus for almost an hour to attend the nearest high school. Again she gave her study everything she had, worked with her tutors and did well. Although in high school she now found she was no longer in the top of her class but still passing her subjects.

Each year she had to pass exams to enter into the next grade and each year she was a little close to becoming a teacher. Finally year 12 was underway, new subjects and new teachers. Ana was still with Compassion and not only doing her school work but also the Compassion project program that prepares children to be able to make good decisions and function well in the world they live with all its challenges and vices. At the project there are course that students can undertake to give them additional skills like computer skills, dress making, pottery, screen printing etc. Ana had taken many of these courses and made the best of every opportunity that came her way.

By the time Ana entered year 12 her grandparents health was failing, both dependent on medication to stay alive and both unable to work any more. Compassion again came to the families aid with food and medical help for the grandparents who wouldn't of been able to afford the medication they needed.

Ana still struggled with language and she had to have a high pass in this subject to enter training to be a teacher. Sadly her results didn't meet the requirements for her to become a teacher. Her childhood dream was not going to become a reality. Her faith in God was strong and she knew He had another plan that was better than hers she just had to discover His plan. For many teenagers this breaking of a life long dream would have destroyed them and they might have given up. Ana remained strong and focused knowing she needed a good income to support her grandparents and sister.

She had completed a computer course at the Compassion project and had done well so she applied to do a computer and technology course which would take a years study and give her a qualification to work with computers and IT. She completed the course with flying colors and was offered a junior job in a computer company near where she lived. She could now support her grandparents and sister and they would no longer be dependent on Compassion for their food and needs.

Ana's life went from good to better. Due some changes in the letter writing process I didn't hear from Ana for many months.Compassion let me know that Ana had graduated from the project and she and her family were self sufficient. Her sister with the help of Compassion had become a dressmaker and was working for a business in the town too.  Then a new letter arrived the first page was about the usual things and how she was going but on the last page was the most exciting news. She told me that she had got married to a wonderful young man who had a job in a trade and they were both very happy. The sad new was her grandfather had died and her grandmother was dying.

I was overjoyed to hear her life had a happy ending and pray that they she and her new husband can enjoy a long and happy life together. Without Compassion her story would have been very different she may have been a statistic and died before the age of 5 like many in her country do.I was blessed to be her correspondent for 10 years and somewhere out there is her sponsor who made this fairy tale come true. It is knowing the difference a sponsorship, a compassion project with the children at the heart of their ministry, lots of love and your words in a letter can do that makes this journey a remarkable one.

Ana is not her name and I have deliberately not mentioned her country to protect her confidentiality but her story is totally true and I feel so blessed to have been part of it. Sorry no photos either for the same reason.