Justina decided to sponsor Emmanuel in 2008, which removed the financial barriers that prevented him from attending school and created opportunities to break the cycle of poverty in his family.
Providing sponsorship to a child facilitates the removal of financial barriers that prevent them from attending school, opens up opportunities, and empowers them to break their families’ poverty cycle. In turn, this creates a trickle-down effect in the community. Justina’s sponsorship of Emmanuel in 2008 had a much more significant meaning to her than just supporting him financially.
“I’ve often wanted to go home because I was suffering. It wasn’t bad in Nigeria. But Emmanuel made me stay in Canada. I said this kid wouldn’t go to school again if I went. But now he’s doing well. Emmanuel was among the people who kept me here because I was ready to leave. I said I was done with this country.”
In these challenging economic times, sponsoring a child can be challenging. With rising inflation, feeding your family and paying your bills becomes even more difficult. Justina’s story demonstrates that supporting a child does not require a purse full of dollars. It only takes a heart that is willing to make a difference.
“My husband was in Nigeria when I started sponsoring, so I told him about it. He said it was a good thing. We hadn’t a kid yet. When I told him I wanted to stop sponsoring, he asked, “so you don’t have money?”. I replied, ‘yeah! Things aren’t going well. But he said, “But that shouldn’t stop you from doing what you want to,” so I decided that day I wasn’t going to give up on him.”
By giving Emmanuel a bright future, Justina was able to change her life. Justina says providing for Emmanuel’s future was the work of God, and He will reward her in abundance.
“I have always loved Emmanuel, and I’ll never forget him for the rest of my life. I say to God; I’m taking care of Emmanuel. You know Emmanuel needs that money, but I don’t have it. I’ve got bills to pay, and food is expensive, but I never go hungry. I get favours from different places. God gave me blessings I didn’t expect. He told me we shouldn’t listen to people when we’re doing God’s work. That’s why I keep going until Jesus calls me. I won’t give up.”
Today, Emmanuel has graduated from the Hope for Tomorrow program. Currently, Justina and her husband are sponsoring four children, three in Ghana and one in Jamaica.
ANIDA has many children without sponsors in Ghana, Liberia, or Jamaica who are facing difficult circumstances in their life. We invite you to sponsor a child today so you can make a difference in the child’s life, the family, and the community.