Make a child happy

Katya came to Friend’s House as a young mother, only 16 years. She is now married and mother of two sons. Katya manages the relief work in the villages. Her heart is open to the struggling families with children.

I know many families whose parents can’t even buy the necessary things when school starts. It reminds me of my childhood:

I’m 10, and soon it is the 1st of September – school starts. Nobody knows my misery, as I have no school dress and not even the pens and notebooks necessary. This is my third year in the streets. I remember that the notebooks for school cost a few coins at the time. I collected empty bottles and old newspapers and managed to get the money for the notebooks. They were worth gold for me. I always kept them neat and tidy. They were all I could buy with my money. The schoolmates’ looks and nasty words hurt me when they commented my lacking outfit. 

Instead of the school dress, I wear a yellowish short-sleeved blouse. Instead of a rucksack, I carry a plastic bag. I hear whispers behind me: ”See how the tramp comes to school.” In spite of the continued scoffing, I managed to finish the nine grades of lower school.