AAI Sponsorship makes a difference in a student's life

Our AAI sponsorship coordinator, Brooke Cole, recently traveled to Ethiopia and carried many supplies to some of the children we support there. One of our sponsors wanted to send her sponsored child some textbooks he needed for school. In the latest issue of her newsletter Brooke relates the story below.



The Power of a Letter


For many children in the sponsorship program, nothing shows support like a letter from their sponsors. Some of the older children are orphaned, with no extended family and they tackle life’s everyday challenges completely alone. To receive a letter from someone on another continent helps these children to feel less isolated. For some, it gives them the inspiration to persevere and to continue with their educational goals.



Aseresahagn Geze is an older boy who has been in our sponsorship program since 2006. He lives alone in a small, mud-plastered house and has faced a lot of hardships in his life. Aseresahgn is presently in the 10th grade and will be taking the Ethiopian National Exam this year. This test will determine whether or not he gets into University. Aseresahgn hopes to be an agriculturist one day and has a strong passion for the sciences. Most recently his sponsor got in touch with me and asked if there was anything ‘extra’ she could do for him. I agreed on my next trip to take some small gifts for him and in the end she elected to purchase some science textbooks to help with his studies.



I forgot how heavy text books can be, and in my final days of getting ready for my trip, I found myself packing and unpacking my suitcases to make sure they were the proper weight. It was a struggle to decide what I needed to leave behind so I could get the text books to Aseresahagn. I’m so glad now that I decided to hand carry the lightest of the books, because when I came into the office one morning, I had a very uplifting email waiting for me. Miriam, one of our social workers. This is what Miriam wrote,



“I was able to meet Aseresahagn Geze last Monday and have delivered the books that were sent from his sponsoring family. He was very happy to have them. He told me that it will help him on his studies and so he is very happy. He has sent his warm thanks and greetings for the sponsoring family. Aseresahagn felt very loved and wanted as he got these books, so blushed with smile and was a bit nervous saying there is really some one who cares about me. He is very grateful about the concern that the family has shown him.”



You can read the rest of the AAI Sponsorship newsletter at this link. Read more about how you too can impact an Ethiopian student's life here.