Faïmi P. Moscova
Sponsorship Manager
Save the Children in Haiti
May 9, 2016
Save the Children started working in Haiti in 1985. Five years later, Sponsorship activities were introduced—established to improve the lives of children and their families through community development, education and health programs.
This is a story about a woman, Santia, who was once a sponsored child and is now working for Save the Children in Haiti as an Education Training Quality Officer. Santia is married with three children: two girls and a boy. She has a degree in education and since graduating 12 years ago, has been working in her field for Save the Children.
From a young age, Santia felt like she was orphaned by both parents because she was not cared for as a child. She was filled with unhappiness, felt isolated and lonely and her basic needs were neglected. It wasn’t until she enrolled in Sponsorship in grade 2 that things started looking a lot brighter for young Santia. She remembers how her classes changed when the school received learning materials, like school benches so the children had something to sit on during class. She received a healthcare card that gave her access to the community health clinic for minimal fees. This was the first time she and other children in her community would be able to receive healthcare, as it had previously been restricted. She also remembers writing letters to her sponsors throughout the nearly 8 years she spent in our program. During that time she enthusiastically took part in the many activities organized in her community, benefiting by learning about topics such as personal hygiene and health skills which she had never learned from her parents.
Santia tells us that Sponsorship programs have vastly influenced and inspired her, and she attributes her achievement of completing her education to the support she received from Sponsorship. She believes that learning about child-centered development programs has motivated her lifelong pursuit of self-development. “I will continue to work and ensure that Haitian children receive a quality education,” she told us. She continued to say that she is so grateful for the sponsors who enabled her to progress to this level in her life despite her difficult beginnings. “I suffered much in life because of the absence of both of my parents when I was growing up,” she said.
Santia knows that Sponsorship gave her a strong start in life that she wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. She thanks Save the Children and her special friends – her sponsors – for their generosity and continuous support. “Save the Children has made remarkable contributions to education, health and nutrition in Haiti and I wish them continued success,” she said.
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