When hope knocks on your door
Each morning for the last year Mehman, 7, and Sabina, 8, watched at their peers went to school with their backpacks filled with books.
Their mother, Guliyne, 28, pulled her children out of school because of their lack of financial resources. “We couldn’t afford winter shoes or clothing for my children,” she says. Inappropriate clothing left the children exposed to illness and caused them to miss class. Additionally, the family’s informal and temporary living situation made it difficult for her to enrol her three children in class.
“When I was told that my children could not continue because of their absences in school, I was hopeless,” recalls Guliyne. “I felt exhausted and guilty because I could not build a flourishing future for my children.”
“When I was told that my children could not continue because of their absences in school, I was hopeless,” recalls Guliyne. “I felt exhausted and guilty because I could not build a flourishing future for my children.”
Guliyne and her children live in a rented house in a small village in southern Azerbaijan. Her husband works as an on-call repairman. The money he earns from each call is barely enough to feed the family even for a couple of days.
On one of her most despondent days, the family received a visit from Ulker, a social worker from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population. World Vision Azerbaijan trained Ulker and social workers to go beyond pension-focused care programmes, and also notice and proactively try to find solutions for families living in deep poverty, enabling them to provide services and resources for families. It was from another family that Ulker was visiting that told her about Guliyne’s family’s situation.
“When I met Ulker, a bit of light has shown on my path. I found that there were some centres where I could leave my youngest child and go to work. Ulker helped me to be hired at a kindergarten project, implemented by partner of World Vision Azerbaijan,” says Guliyne. “Now, I am paid 50 AZN (about$70 (USD)) to work as a parent leader in this kindergarten. My youngest child, Rahman, is next to me, socializing and playing with peers, while I discuss parental problems with other parents in this centre,” she explains.
“When I met Ulker, a bit of light has shown on my path."
Ulker also helped the family prepare their necessary documents to obtain targeted social assistance (TSA), given to needy families, and get Mehman and Sabina enrolled in a nearby school.
“Thanks to the social worker, this September [was] a holiday for my family. Now, we can afford to stay in this house for a long time, and my children go to school with new hope and joy. Seeing their smiles grants me power to live,” says Guliyne, now with a whole new outlook on life.