‘Special Circumstances’ can mean a range of different things, such as:
A form of disability:
A number of children attached to our partner projects have disabilities which mean that it is difficult for them to get to school, integrate at school, and even perform well in class. This means that their needs have to be considered carefully and specifically to allow the child to make the most of their education. Often these children attend mainstream classes, however others have classes tailored to their specific needs. Mission International wishes to find sponsors who will persevere with children who have disabilities so that they can eventually make their way in life, a life where they have been rejected by their families and where there are no formal support mechanisms provided for them.
Children with disabilities who need sponsors:
(Click on images to reveal children’s names) Should you decide to sponsor a child please print, complete and return the Bank Mandate form on our giving page here.
Disability is tough:
Disability is tough to live with anywhere in the world, however having a disability in the developing world is much harder. The struggles that these children face are so challenging, however Mission International wishes to help them make their way in life, and with your support we can.
Some of these children have been abandoned by their families, some of them have no parents because their parents have died. In some cases the parents help at the ‘Born This Way Foundation’ centre (not the Lady Gaga version) where the children live. Sometimes a single mother has to go out to work to support her other children and is not able to look after a disabled child and so the Centre looks after the child to assist the family.
One little girl’s story:
One little girl was left abandoned by the sewage drains in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi and was picked up by a bus driver who saw her and picked her up and gave her to the authorities who then brought her to the centre. No-one knows who left her or where she is from, she does not know who her mother and father are. Clearly she would have died there had it not been for the bus driver and more significantly for the ‘Born This Way Foundation’ centre who now take care of her.
Outside the normal parameters for going to school:
Due to lack of school fees, illness or family tragedy children’s education can be interrupted for short or long periods, thus they are held back at school until they are able to sit and pass the class exams. This means that a child can still be in the early years of primary school while others in their age group are well through secondary school. Often these children are left out of sponsorship schemes because they don’t fit the regular mechanisms. Mission International feels that it is important to help such children to make it through school.
Children outside normal school parameters who require sponsorship:
(Click on images to reveal children’s names)
Street children:
Large cities in the developing world are a magnet for children who are runaways, or whose parents have abandoned them or who have died. As you can imagine the streets are not a safe place for any child, however many live there and survive on their wits by begging and even stealing to stay alive. After a period on the streets these children become street-wise and hardened. To bring them in to a formal school environment is beyond what they or teachers can cope with and so special methods need to be employed to help them change and receive their education. Some have drug habits, others may have small children of their own and all are at risk of abuse and trafficking. Mission International partners reach these children and bring them back from the streets and re-unite many with their families again.
Forced marriage:
Young girls in particular are often forced to get married at a very young age so that their family can pass on the responsibility of the child to another and/or can benefit from the dowry which is paid in many developing world cultures. Bright young girls, some as young as 12 or 13 years old are given in marriage before they can be educated. When a child is at risk, sponsorship can mean the difference between a very difficult and a very bright future.
Home chores:
Girls in particular are required to carry water for long distances, from the nearest water source to their homes. Due to the loss of their parents as a result of HIV/AIDs or other tragic circumstances and that they are being cared for by ageing grandparents and the lack of school fees, these girls are not freed to go to school and so remain uneducated. Sponsorship can make it possible for the family to pay a water carrier and allow their child to go to school. Mission International partners have identified many children like this and so wish to enlist your help in freeing them for education.
Please consider supporting a child in special circumstances:
To find out how to support a child please visit our giving page