Meet Joy,
a five-year-old girl living in a tough neighbourhood in Livingstone, Zambia, well known for illicit activities and drugs. Sadly, her mother died when she was three years old. Joy and her two siblings (a 7-year-old brother and 3-year-old sister) now live with their grandmother, who is unemployed.
To feed the children, her grandmother sells donuts and soft drinks on a busy street 3.5 km away, not earning nearly enough to provide sufficiently for herself, let alone her dependents.
School was not an option for these children. Instead, the children would make the long walk with their grandmother, and spend the day wandering the street.
Thanks to sponsorship and the continued support of Canadians, Joy and her brother Alick were able to attend school for the first time in 2019. Joy and Alick will also participate in a school lunch (food-pack) program beginning in January, 2020, so that they are well fed at school, and able to concentrate.
Joy shared her aspiration to enter the medical field to support her family. For Joy and Alick, sponsorship is offering true hope for the future!