Sponsorship: a courtyard full of animals

“Several years ago, my family was not doing well. My father, who does a lot of farming, had a bad year, and we barely had food to eat. I often went to school hungry and while I continued my studies, my mother was trying to provide everything my siblings and I needed.”

Fatou, sitting on a blue wooden chair, quietly recalls her story. She’s a sweet girl with a gentle voice. He blue dress matches the chair and stands out against the house’s grey background. A lot has changed for the now forth-grader ever since she started being sponsored.

“I studied hard and, after classes, met my friends often, but I was sad that my family was having a hard time.

One day, when I was at home, I saw Ousman, the World Vision volunteer in my village. He came towards my house. I knew he would bring good news, because he always does. He often brings me letters and presents. I started dancing right away and ran to my mother with a big smile. That’s when Ousman entered our property, with a big envelope in his hand. He told me that he had news from Jenny, my sponsor who lives far away in England.”

What Fatou didn’t know then was that Jenny had sent a gift notification to Senegal; which is any amount of money that is available for the sponsored child and her family to be used.

“When I found out about the money that Jenny had sent, all my troubles went away. I knew that we would have more than enough,” Fatou recalls with a smile. She still sits on her chair, surrounded by most of her brothers and sisters, and a lot of animals.

“My father used the gift to buy several goats, a cow and chickens. Over the next year, we gained even more goats and today we have a courtyard full of animals. We also bought seeds to plant crops.”

Fatou likes taking care of her animals. She feeds the chickens and goats, while her father takes care of the cow and the farming in the fields outside the family’s compound.

“I know that my family is doing well today. We have enough clothes, animals, food and a good house where I live with my brothers and sisters.

Writing letters to Jenny and receiving a reply has been very special. I think about her a lot and love her very much,” Fatou says, and adds with a cheeky grin: “Maybe one day she will even come out here to visit me.”

Photos credits: Delphine Rouiller