This is a true story.
There was once a little baby born into difficult circumstances. But she survived them and grew into a little girl. Her parents died and she and her siblings were left alone with their grief. Vulnerable, this girl was subjected to horrors that most of us can never imagine. I could write them down here. I could spell them out and describe them, and still most of us could never imagine, understand, begin to fathom the things that happened to this small girl.
But she survived.
Only, she was given a curse.
(Still a true story.)
It was said that this curse was only for those who made devilish choices or who had been evil and punished.
But remember, she was a little girl, that's all. She didn't make any of those choices- she hadn't been allowed many choices at all- and there was nothing evil about this child who smiled shyly and always had gentle comfort for anyone in need.
Still, she was given this curse and made to live with it, and all the stigma and ostracism and hatred that rained down on her from those around her who became terrified of her. Of her, a little girl. She was turned away and hurt by her own relatives and community.
This happened not so long ago, but it was a time and place where this curse called HIV was still a mystery that gripped villages and families with terror. Fear so often breeds cruelty.
Her brother saw her suffer, he saw her health begin to fail, and he tried to find her someplace safe. She was only eight years old.
He asked at the crowded institutions at the city, but he was turned away. Eight? She's too old. She wouldn't be adopted; no one would want an eight year old. HIV? That child? She'll never make it. We can't waste precious few resources on a kid who isn't going to live. Doors were closed, and closed. By the time they found one that opened to her, she was in a precarious state.
But- can you believe it? A lot of people couldn't, but it's true- she survived again.
And in this new place our girl found something amazing. It wasn't just safety and a good decent try at saving her life; it was a place to belong. A place where she was told something that, I think, maybe she had always known in her heart; that she had a right to a future. To hope, to dream, to be a part of the big world and to matter to it.
In this place she went to school and quickly excelled. So much so that she was given scholarships to the fancy private school, where she rose to the top of her class. She excelled in science but also in art. She used her talents to advocate for other children who suffered, and her art can be seen around her capital city on billboards promoting the safety and rights of all little girls.
Her advocacy didn't stop there. She spoke to other children with HIV, she spoke to groups of adults, she wrote essays on what it is to be a child living with HIV. She was selected to represent all the children of her country at a major UNICEF event, speaking with the eloquence of an expert before her prime minister and high diplomats from all over the world.
When another child joined her new home who was deaf, our little girl learned sign language and traveled with that child to the US, serving as an interpreter. Translating the signs into words, translating those words from her native language to English.
She has helped to decorate children's rooms in hospitals, to make their burdens easier to bear. As she's grown she has volunteered at camps for orphaned children, sharing the hope that never perished from her own heart. She volunteers at one of the largest institutional homes for HIV positive children in her country, tutoring and mentoring children; she shows them that if they never give up, they can be like her one day.
Like her. A little girl who is growing into a young woman full of life and laughter. A young woman with many friends and an international legion of admirers for her unfailing optimism and integrity, her unending compassion and capacity to give. Who has so completely succeeded and excelled at not only surviving, but at her education, at being part of a family, at becoming a wonderful person, at changing the world around her.
And she will change it more as she grows. She has just received acceptance and scholarship funds to an excellent pre-med program in North America, and is determined to become a doctor to serve those most in need. After all the triumph she has carved out of adversity, who could ever doubt that she will do exactly that?
This is the story of a quiet, unassuming little girl who was given a curse. But, through the strength of her own character, managed to crush it in her small hands, squeeze the fear from it, and reshape it into a life of purpose, a beacon of hope to others.
But that's why I'm telling you this story. I'm hoping you will be inspired by our little girl.
I'm hoping you will be about five dollars inspired. Because even though her tuition has been covered by well-deserved scholarships, she still needs room and board, books, and a plane ticket across an ocean to reach her dream. She needs about $5000 for each of her four years. It is a terrible lot for a young lady who is rich in ability but financially has nothing.
If you take five minutes to throw a few (tax-deductible) dollars into the scholarship fund for this amazing young lady, just imagine the ripples you will create as she continues to change and inspire and heal the world she moves through.
This story started out as a tragedy, didn't it?
For the tragedies someone has helped you overcome, for the opportunities someone has helped to provide you with, for the love of investing in a karma account with a guaranteed high return, I hope you will be inspired.
To help the story have a happy ending.
To Donate Directly to Her College Fund:
Write a check made out to: Artists For Charity
Write the account number (2000026141718) and "College Fund" in the memo line.
Mail to:
Wells Fargo Bank
PO Box 5629
Portland, OR 97228-5629
US donors may wire funds to Wells Fargo using Routing #: 121000248
Account Name: Artists For Charity
For international wires, the bank name is listed as:
Wells Fargo, N.A. San Francisco, CA
Account #: 2000026141718
SWIFT code: WFBIUS6S
There was once a little baby born into difficult circumstances. But she survived them and grew into a little girl. Her parents died and she and her siblings were left alone with their grief. Vulnerable, this girl was subjected to horrors that most of us can never imagine. I could write them down here. I could spell them out and describe them, and still most of us could never imagine, understand, begin to fathom the things that happened to this small girl.
But she survived.
Only, she was given a curse.
(Still a true story.)
It was said that this curse was only for those who made devilish choices or who had been evil and punished.
But remember, she was a little girl, that's all. She didn't make any of those choices- she hadn't been allowed many choices at all- and there was nothing evil about this child who smiled shyly and always had gentle comfort for anyone in need.
Still, she was given this curse and made to live with it, and all the stigma and ostracism and hatred that rained down on her from those around her who became terrified of her. Of her, a little girl. She was turned away and hurt by her own relatives and community.
This happened not so long ago, but it was a time and place where this curse called HIV was still a mystery that gripped villages and families with terror. Fear so often breeds cruelty.
Her brother saw her suffer, he saw her health begin to fail, and he tried to find her someplace safe. She was only eight years old.
He asked at the crowded institutions at the city, but he was turned away. Eight? She's too old. She wouldn't be adopted; no one would want an eight year old. HIV? That child? She'll never make it. We can't waste precious few resources on a kid who isn't going to live. Doors were closed, and closed. By the time they found one that opened to her, she was in a precarious state.
But- can you believe it? A lot of people couldn't, but it's true- she survived again.
And in this new place our girl found something amazing. It wasn't just safety and a good decent try at saving her life; it was a place to belong. A place where she was told something that, I think, maybe she had always known in her heart; that she had a right to a future. To hope, to dream, to be a part of the big world and to matter to it.
In this place she went to school and quickly excelled. So much so that she was given scholarships to the fancy private school, where she rose to the top of her class. She excelled in science but also in art. She used her talents to advocate for other children who suffered, and her art can be seen around her capital city on billboards promoting the safety and rights of all little girls.
Her advocacy didn't stop there. She spoke to other children with HIV, she spoke to groups of adults, she wrote essays on what it is to be a child living with HIV. She was selected to represent all the children of her country at a major UNICEF event, speaking with the eloquence of an expert before her prime minister and high diplomats from all over the world.
When another child joined her new home who was deaf, our little girl learned sign language and traveled with that child to the US, serving as an interpreter. Translating the signs into words, translating those words from her native language to English.
She has helped to decorate children's rooms in hospitals, to make their burdens easier to bear. As she's grown she has volunteered at camps for orphaned children, sharing the hope that never perished from her own heart. She volunteers at one of the largest institutional homes for HIV positive children in her country, tutoring and mentoring children; she shows them that if they never give up, they can be like her one day.
Like her. A little girl who is growing into a young woman full of life and laughter. A young woman with many friends and an international legion of admirers for her unfailing optimism and integrity, her unending compassion and capacity to give. Who has so completely succeeded and excelled at not only surviving, but at her education, at being part of a family, at becoming a wonderful person, at changing the world around her.
And she will change it more as she grows. She has just received acceptance and scholarship funds to an excellent pre-med program in North America, and is determined to become a doctor to serve those most in need. After all the triumph she has carved out of adversity, who could ever doubt that she will do exactly that?
This is the story of a quiet, unassuming little girl who was given a curse. But, through the strength of her own character, managed to crush it in her small hands, squeeze the fear from it, and reshape it into a life of purpose, a beacon of hope to others.
But that's why I'm telling you this story. I'm hoping you will be inspired by our little girl.
I'm hoping you will be about five dollars inspired. Because even though her tuition has been covered by well-deserved scholarships, she still needs room and board, books, and a plane ticket across an ocean to reach her dream. She needs about $5000 for each of her four years. It is a terrible lot for a young lady who is rich in ability but financially has nothing.
If you take five minutes to throw a few (tax-deductible) dollars into the scholarship fund for this amazing young lady, just imagine the ripples you will create as she continues to change and inspire and heal the world she moves through.
This story started out as a tragedy, didn't it?
For the tragedies someone has helped you overcome, for the opportunities someone has helped to provide you with, for the love of investing in a karma account with a guaranteed high return, I hope you will be inspired.
To help the story have a happy ending.
To Donate Directly to Her College Fund:
Write a check made out to: Artists For Charity
Write the account number (2000026141718) and "College Fund" in the memo line.
Mail to:
Wells Fargo Bank
PO Box 5629
Portland, OR 97228-5629
US donors may wire funds to Wells Fargo using Routing #: 121000248
Account Name: Artists For Charity
For international wires, the bank name is listed as:
Wells Fargo, N.A. San Francisco, CA
Account #: 2000026141718
SWIFT code: WFBIUS6S
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