Girls Around the Globe:
True Stories of Transformation
Women and children disproportionately withstand the worst of poverty’s destructive effects!
Hungry girls, who cannot go to school or gain the skills to escape poverty, often become wives to older men at a noticeably young age and pregnant before they leave their teen years. It becomes a vicious cycle, generation after generation, unless someone steps in to break it.
This Christmas, we want to give you the opportunity to be that someone!
Between now and Christmas, we want to introduce you to several young women from the countries where Bright Hope ministers. Their stories prove that we can end this vicious poverty cycle.
But if we don’t do something, if we ignore their stories, other young women's lives may be at stake.
First, let me introduce you to Veronica, who lives with her aunt and siblings in northwestern Kenya's hot, drought-ridden Turkana region.
Meet Veronica
Veronica’s mom died when she was young, and her father had abandoned them years before. Though her aunt loves her, she couldn’t provide for all their needs. Veronica and her siblings felt utterly alone, vulnerable, and hopeless.
Just when the weight of hopelessness seemed too heavy to bear, Veronica’s older sister learned about an opportunity to work as a farmer at the Natoot farm, set up by Bright Hope and local churches in the region. In the middle of the desert, Bright Hope planted the first seeds of a farm, which would provide a way for families to grow nutritious food and sustainable businesses.
Veronica’s sister received training to work as a farmer. As the days passed, their hopelessness began to vanish. The community farm was flourishing—the once parched, cracked land transformed into a lush, green oasis providing food and water. Veronica's sister used her plot of farmland to feed her family, sell produce at the market, and pay for Veronica to attend school.
Veronica shared with Abi from the Bright Hope team, “My favorite class is science, and I want to become a doctor! In my community, there is a big need. I want to be able to care for and provide for my family and friends.”
The Natoot farm has not only provided the means for survival for Veronica’s family but has given her the opportunity to go to school and dream about her future!
Veronica explained: “I am grateful to God that I still go to school! If I were at home, men would already have come to my parents asking for my hand in marriage. They come and try to woo you, but if you say no, your parents will forcefully choose a man for you.”
While you make purchasing decisions and consider your financial situation this holiday season, please remember to help the poorest of the poor. Kids like Veronica would not be in school if you and others didn’t pray and give generously.
Please make a sacrificial gift before the year ends. That could be $50, $100, or many more times that. Whatever amount you give, God will use it to bless hundreds of lives with Hope for today, tomorrow, and eternity.
Now, let’s travel from Natoot Farm in Kenya to the neighboring country Uganda where Rebecca lives.
Meet Rebecca
In a small country like Uganda, can you imagine that more than 17,000 teenage girls got pregnant during the pandemic lockdowns! As a result, 17,000+ futures came to a screeching halt as one of the key doors out of extreme poverty was about to slam shut—education. (Teen pregnancy often prevents girls from attending school.)
Rebecca might have been one of these hopeless girls if Allies like you hadn’t stepped in.
She dropped out of school in 5th grade since her parents couldn’t afford her school fees. Now, without the support and direction of the school staff, she fell in with a bad crowd, resulting in a string of unhealthy relationships. Rebecca was out of control, and her parents gave up on her! They wanted her out!
Veronica shared with Abi from the Bright Hope team, “My favorite class is science, and I want to become a doctor! In my community, there is a big need. I want to be able to care for and provide for my family and friends.”
The Natoot farm has not only provided the means for survival for Veronica’s family but has given her the opportunity to go to school and dream about her future!
Veronica explained: “I am grateful to God that I still go to school! If I were at home, men would already have come to my parents asking for my hand in marriage. They come and try to woo you, but if you say no, your parents will forcefully choose a man for you.”
While you make purchasing decisions and consider your financial situation this holiday season, please remember to help the poorest of the poor. Kids like Veronica would not be in school if you and others didn’t pray and give generously.
Please make a sacrificial gift before the year ends. That could be $50, $100, or many more times that. Whatever amount you give, God will use it to bless hundreds of lives with Hope for today, tomorrow, and eternity.
Now, let’s take a trip south to meet Silvia, who lives in rural Zambia.
Meet Silvia
As the sun rose over the mud huts in Samfya, Zambia, flame trees dressed in brilliant orange and red flowers danced in its rays, and the sweeping sounds of its fern-like leaves filled the neighborhood.
But Silvia sat alone, watching from her family’s hut as her siblings and friends ran and played and laughed in the sun.
You see, Silvia was born with a cleft foot, which prevented her from running and playing with her friends. Unfortunately, Silvia’s disability defined her identity and robbed her of hope.
As Silvia’s friends played “Walasa Waingena,” the Zambian version of dodgeball, the ball zoomed toward her. Silvia mustered all her strength to stand, grab the ball, and throw it back to the children.
But since Silvia couldn’t support her weight on her cleft foot, she fell to the ground. The crowd of kids erupted in a chorus of laughter and cruel comments. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Silvia felt warm tears streaming down her cheeks.
Kids in Zambia born with physical deformities face an uphill battle. On top of their physical limitations, they face sociocultural criticism and are often viewed as cursed because of their disabilities. As a result, kids born to run and play and smile and learn often stay confined in their homes, out of school, isolated, ashamed, and hopeless.
Without help, kids like Silvia get stuck in poverty, unable to go to school and gain skills to build sustainable lives. And more importantly, they often feel worthless and forgotten by God.
But you can help them find physical and spiritual health and Hope!
For years, Bright Hope has helped kids in Zambia get the medical care and prosthetics they need. And our faithful staff member, Ivor, has helped connect our services with the neediest children.
Miriam, Silvia’s mother, saw Ivor walking toward her hut as she was washing her children’s clothes. Ivor explained the work Bright Hope had done in the lives of other families like hers. Though she was skeptical, Miriam allowed Silvia to undergo cleft foot surgery.
After surgery, Miriam waited at the hospital for three days while Silvia recovered.
Miriam expressed: “I had hope because I believe God can do miracles! When I first saw Silvia after her operation, I was happy! She was finally given the gift to walk.”
Would you consider giving $50, $100, or your best gift to help girls like Silvia in Zambia so they can get the medical help they need? Your gift could transform the physical, emotional, and spiritual lives of sweet girls like her.
God completely transformed Silvia’s life! She shared: “I immediately started to walk after the operation. When my cast was taken off, I would walk around our home and ask my mother how it looked!”
Today, Silvia is a vibrant and joyful 10-year-old girl who loves going to school, running, dancing, and playing with her friends and siblings in the shade of the orange-red blooms of the Flame trees.
When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, she explained: “I want to become a nurse so that I can help others be healed!”
Your gift could not only give kids like Silvia a chance at a sustainable, Hope-filled future, but you could show them how much God loves them! So please consider how you can get involved!