“There is a saying that ‘one finger cannot pick a stone,’” says Hannah, 14. “So you have to help each other to progress.”

As a sponsored child, she has seen her community change for the better as people work together. “Before World Vision was here, we had a lack of water,” she says. Hannah recalls missing class because it would take three hours to collect water for her family each day, so she was thankful when new wells were built.

Besides getting clean water close to home, latrines have helped with overall health and sanitation, and children have been vaccinated against diseases like measles. As the community has grown and changed, so has Hannah. Today she is learning how to make healthy decisions for the future, and she spreads the word to other youth as well. Their main goal is preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS.

“My mother encouraged me to join the group,” Hannah explains. “She said it was good to know my rights and responsibilities.”

The building blocks of health and self-confidence have encouraged Hannah to look toward the future. She remembers a time when she didn’t have any dreams at all, but today that has changed.

“I can now say I have a goal to achieve, which is to become a journalist,” she says. “So I thank World Vision for this.”

Visit worldvision.ca today or call 1-800-268-3922.