Norma has always told her kids they have to study hard: “If you don’t study, you don’t advance,” she says.
Victoria, the third child in the family, is an example of how Norma’s guidance is paying off. “Every day I try to do my best to get good grades and fill my parents with pride,” the Paraguayan student tells us. “For me, they come first, and I want to help them get ahead.”
That determination made it possible for Victoria to break barriers to education during the pandemic when she had to learn outside the classroom for two years, in 2020 and 2021.
Victoria’s school used WhatsApp to send schoolwork to students during the lockdown. That was quite an adjustment for the teen who had to wait until her mom returned from work with the family’s only cellphone. “It was difficult, but we had to adapt, and it was very nice to see how she studied,” says Norma, proud of her daughter’s hard work.
Victoria is extremely thankful she has the chance to learn and dream of a future in kinesiology. She understands other children don’t have the same opportunities child sponsorship gives her.
“I always told Victoria I wish all children could get this help,” says Norma, referring to the chance to go to school and access life’s essentials.
Thanks to Victoria’s sponsor, the family receives gifts of food and clothes. The kids also benefit from educational and social support at their local community centre. And, encouragement through donor letters means a lot, too. “It’s very nice that people from other countries, who don’t even know you, personally still care how you are,” Victoria says.
It’s no wonder Norma is so proud of her humble, hardworking daughter. “I feel very blessed,” she says.
Indeed, sponsors are making a big difference in the life of this mom, daughter and their whole family.
“I want to thank (sponsors) infinitely for all the support we receive through (the Children Believe) program, because my children are very well supported,” says Norma, who’s also thankful for the work of our local implementing partner in Paraguay, Fundación Alda.
You can help another parent change their child’s future for the better. Become a sponsor today.