Meet Marell
Aged 6, Colombia
Marell lives with her dad Jeison and her mum Brenda in a two-bedroom house that belongs to a relative. They have electricity and gas in a tank, but they do not have clean water. They have to take it from the river. Her dad does various trades, earning the minimum wage. Her mum is a housewife and is pregnant. They find it difficult to cover all the family's needs from her dad's income.
Marell has been given the opportunity to join the Stand by Me Emmanuel Care Centre, where with sponsorship provision she can attend, have fun and learn new things, and receive educational support and nutritious meals.
Marell is at elementary school, and she enjoys going to school to learn new things and eat delicious snacks. Her favourite subjects are mathematics and art, since she likes addition and colouring. She is a happy, extroverted, kind, generous and talkative girl. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, drawing, reading, playing with toys, watching TV and skating. Her favourite toy is a set of colours. She likes the colours purple, pink and blue. Marell likes to eat pasta with ground meat and pizza. She sometimes attends a Christian church. When she grows up, she would like to be a doctor or a teacher to heal the sick or to teach others.
Where Marell lives
The gulf between the haves and the have-nots in Colombia is alarming. Decades of civil war and conflict have resulted in a country plagued by violence and murder. For six million children deep in poverty, a lack of educational opportunities and malnutrition is an everyday reality. Children have severe health issues worsened due to not being able to afford medical treatment. Many children suffer from psychological problems as a result of neglect, abuse and violence experienced in their homes.
We established a care center in 2015 to support families through educational provision, meals, counselling, training and housing support. Every day, our children come to our care center eager to learn, play and receive emotional support.
Why Stand by Me?
What you receive
When you sponsor Marell you will receive a pack in the post with her story and photo. Every year you will receive an update about her progress, a new photo and at least one communication from her.
Real relationship
We know our kids love to receive your emails and write back so we encourage you to write as many emails as you like, along with photos and birthday gifts to develop a genuine relationship.
Not sure yet?
Ask us anything. We’ve helped sponsors change 1000s of kids’ lives, and we know it can be a big decision. We’re here to help you every step of the way.
