“Why was I born into this world?” That’s a question most children don’t find themselves asking, but Sariah was no ordinary child. The young girl had been unable to walk since birth, and she felt isolated—different. Disability.
Consumed by Loneliness
While her family members were followers of the local traditions, Sariah was especially devout. Often the young girl rebuked her siblings for not following their traditions closely. But that piety masked a great insecurity inside her heart.
Loneliness and depression strangled Sariah’s heart. Because of her disability, she refused to go to school, fearing ridicule and laughter. Her parents let her stay home, but her isolation merely brought further feelings of self-derision. Sariah felt that nobody loved her and that even her deities had abandoned her.
“Why was I born into this world?” she would ask. The ensuing silence further strangled any hope or happiness Sariah had, and her outlook on life and her future continued to darken.
Transformative Love
However, one day, a response did come. Staff from a local GFA-supported Bridge of Hope center happened to meet Sariah and her family. Seeing that the young girl wasn’t attending school, they asked why.
“There is no one who loves and cares [for] me,” Sariah responded, “so I do not want to go to school to study.”
The workers invited Sariah to attend the local Bridge of Hope center, where she could study in a place oflove and acceptance. Intrigued and hopeful, Sariah enrolled.
At the center, the staff poured love over Sariah. Her fellow Bridge of Hope students accepted her and saw past her disability, and she found friends.
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Learn more about how to sponsor children, even those with disability, from families stuck in generational abject poverty who need a Bridge of Hope.
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