We knew we had been entrusted with this precious gift of a lovely baby girl and we accepted her into our family and named her Naomi. From abandoned to accepted, from being alone in the world to having a family who adore her, Naomi’s life is now full of love. Her beautiful smile tells nothing of the difficulty that led to her becoming part of the family but shows the vast opportunity ahead of her and the joy and love that every child should experience.
We rescue children, then we do whatever it takes to provide the care, love and attention they need to thrive.
Naomi, Isaac, Mersayit, Jean Carlos, Rayana*
Our kids are amazing. They’re all different; they have different stories, different needs, and different dreams. They’ve come from terrible backgrounds, but with the right care, they’re thriving.
Naomi was a special surprise. At just nine days old she was abandoned outside our home, with only a piece of a calendar to mark her date of birth.
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Isaac first came to our Emmanuel Care Centre when he was four years old. Life was hard for him back then. With barely any income, his mum struggled to feed him and Isaac had little chance of ever achieving an education.
Isaac is now 14 and lives with his mum and his nephew. He receives regular food, medical help and tutoring at our safe and colourful care centre. We’ve seen him grow in confidence and best of all, he’s doing well at school and on his way to achieving his dreams of being an actor.
Mersayit lives with her mum and sister. Their small mud hut does not have a toilet, toys or even a bed.
Mersayit’s mum used to have a heard of sheep that helped her earn an income to support her children, but most of her sheep were stolen. This pushed the already struggling family deeper into poverty. Without the means to provide food and clothes for Mersayit, Mersayit's mum felt hopeless. Now Mersayit receives regular food, medical care and a fantastic education at our Bethany School. Mersayit is able to play with her friends knowing we are looking after her and her family.
Jean Carlos’s father is in prison with a 15 year sentence for murder.
His mother met the father of her third child while working in a brothel, and sadly he is not a kind man. With barely any income for the family, food is scarce at home. When he first came to our school, Jean Carlos had a hard time getting along with other children. Now he puts all his effort into learning to read and write and has lots of friends to play marbles with at recess. He has a special interest in animals, especially bugs and he is growing in health as he gets to eat a nutritious meal every day, something he doesn’t get at home.
Rayana* comes from a remote hill village in Nepal which in the wet season is a four day walk from the nearest town.
Her family is from the very low Chepang caste and both her parents are illiterate, working in the fields to earn money. Sadly, there are issues concerning child trafficking in her village - she knows there is more than just leopards and tigers to fear.
Now Rayana is a Stand by Me child she has all the opportunities that an education can provide, good nutrition and health care, and lots of new friends! When she arrived at our hostel she had never had a bath, never used a toilet and never been to school. Now she is learning her numbers and letters and can even speak English. She may be little but she definitely has a big personality.
This is child-centred care.
Truly caring for each child begins with considering the needs of the child, their family, and their community
Loving care
We get to know each child — their hopes, history, needs and dreams. We delight in our children and want the best for them. We invest our time, love and attention raising them to know that they’re loved and accepted for who they are.
Strong families
Usually the best place for a child to thrive is in their family – that’s why we work hard to help families stay together. In the absence of a stable family, we place children who are at risk into our loving family homes.
Great education
A great quality education is key to escaping poverty. Our education programmes equip our kids with the skills they need to rise above their circumstances and help change their communities.
Access to healthcare
The health of our children is vital to their development and happiness, so we go the extra mile to make sure that they are fit and well, and can enjoy their childhood.
A reason for hope
It’s a privilege to teach our kids of Jesus’ love for them, and to demonstrate this through the quality of our care. As their desire for spiritual answers grows, we encourage them to discover a love, respect and knowledge of God for themselves. Read more.
Caring relationships
It’s incredibly important to each child’s sense of value and stability that they’re raised by parents and teachers who care about them. Child sponsorship supports this further by giving our kids a relationship with a sponsor who loves them and helps them feel part of a wider family.
So what happens when our kids grow up?
As you’d expect, the answer is different with every child. We have hundreds of stories. Here are just a few to begin with...
All Wilton wanted was to go to school.
Wilton was one hundredth on a waiting list to attend a school in a chicken shed in the Dominican Republic. Then we built a school there so that we could provide Wilton, and children like him, with a great education and regular meals. There, Wilton grew from a challenging pupil to a mature young man who trained to be a doctor at medical school. Today he is a surgeon.
Dim was born into extreme poverty in Northern Myanmar.
When Dim joined our home she was 10 years old. She watched the Stand by Me staff care for her and the other children and was inspired to become a teacher. She passed all of her exams and gained a degree in child care. Now Dim is a Preschool teacher, caring for kids just like our staff cared for her.
Neha* was born into the Dalit caste and considered ‘untouchable’.
We welcomed her with open arms into our Hostel in Nepal when she was just 5 years old. She completed her education and qualified as a nurse. With this qualification she is able to stand equally with others in society and will not be counted as a Dalit anymore.
After sadly losing his mother, Lal joined our Sophia Home in Myanmar when he was 11.
Lal worked hard through school, never failing an exam. We were so proud of his achievements and we continued to support him through Theology School. Since graduating he is using his skills and passion for the children in our care as a sponsorship coordinator for Stand by Me.
Pranati* had a hard start to life with nobody to care for her.
We welcomed her into our Hostel in Nepal. There she flourished and excelled in her classes and finally felt that she was part of a loving family. Once she graduated from High School, Pranati began training to be a nurse. She worked exceedingly hard and received the highest marks in her year on her nursing exams.
