My name is Terry. I am 13 years old and an 8th grader at [REDACTED] School. When I grow up, I want to be an engineer and get a well-paying job.

My mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer a couple of years ago. Before she got ill, she used to work as a washer, hand washing people’s clothes. She stopped working when her health got worse, and we had no income. We lived in poverty. The only time we got to eat was when people came to visit with food. My mother worried day and night about not having food on the table and for not being able to pay my school fees. Recently her health has gotten worse, and on top of that she makes herself sick with worry about the fact that she has nobody to help her raise us.

My mother always prays to God to help us through all of this, and finally her prayers were answered when International Samaritan came to our rescue. They gave me a scholarship which covers my school fees, my food, clean uniforms and all the school supplies I need. I even have a mentor to help me with my studies and was enrolled in a life-skill training program. My mother is still sick, but she is no longer making herself worse with worry, and we no longer are starving.

I am committed to my education and to becoming an Engineer. Thanks to your continued generosity, my journey will be easier. I thank you very much for all your help and guidance.

Standing Taller

Young Women in Uganda Are Learning to Defend Themselves — and Believe in ThemselvesFor months, 49 of our scholarship students, all young women, have been learning to stand stronger, move with confidence, and respond when they feel unsafe. This self-defense program was...

A Time to Build—Together

Grand Opening of the Family Life Center in Guatemala City Last week, scholars, families, team members, and friends celebrated the grand opening of the renovated Family Life Center in Guatemala City. Fr. Robert E. Karle, S.J., blessed the new space and delivered this...

Painting Your World

A Young Artist in Kenya Gets Her Canvas I went to visit one of our scholarship students in Kenya, Martha, at her home. When I knocked at the gate, she opened it with a smile. The first thing I noticed was the walls around her, all dressed in artwork. "Who made this...

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