Elvira: Why would we sponsor a university student? How did she turn the taunts and jeers of her friends into her Fight Song?
Growing up in most Roma communities is a strike against any kid. Oh, you’re a girl”? Strike two. Strike three could be a choice of any number of factors; parental apathy, lack of funds, death of your father. Take your pick.
Elvira was different. She had a dream. She could see herself finishing high school, a rare event in her world. She was even brave enough to see herself graduating from university! An impossibility in the eyes of her peers. She was taunted and berated by her friends. How could she dare think she could ever be better? Had she forgotten she was Roma? Had she forgotten she was a ….girl?
Roma girls don’t attend university. Roma girls get pregnant in their early teens, live with the child’s father until he abandons them, and spend the rest of their life in poverty.
Elvira ignored the negativity, set her sights on getting an education, put on the blinders, and made it a reality. She is now just two years away from a university degree. Granted, she is a tad older than most of the kids we sponsor, but upon graduation she wants to stay in Serbia and work with her people. We believe she is worth the investment!
News Flash: At 1:30 this morning we received notification that someone will sponsor Elvira!!! She is blessed, and we are humbled to be here to help her across the finish line.
Vesna. A wife and mother of two might seem like an unlikely candidate for student sponsorship, but the reason why she’s going to school will be an integral part in saving the next generation.
Vesna is a part of the Choose Life Centre team. We have partnered with The Choose Life Centre for about five years. We love how they work with women in crisis. No guilt, no shame, no judgement. The CLC team educates their clients on what options they have, and the consequences involved in their decisions. We love their vision…to see abortion become unthinkable. We admire the way the care.
Keeping a baby creates a new future for a mother, especially if on her own, and now unable to care for a child and hold a job. To help a new family get off to a better start, the CLC wants to start a Maternity Home, a place where mother and child can be safe, nourished, and prepared for the life ahead.
In order to make this safe haven a reality the CLC needs to get a special license. No license, no maternity home. Vesna will be taking 3 years of classes, and upon graduation she becomes a licensed social worker. The maternity home can go from dream and drawing board to actuality.
News Flash #2: We received funds from some Canadian friends earmarked for buying firewood, but the funds didn’t arrive until the winter cold was gone. We were granted permission to use a portion of the money for Vesna’s first year of school!
Zejena, Teodora, and Igor. No, not the award-winning trio from “Serbia’s Got Talent”, but three kids deserving of a better future. Right now the odds are stacked against them. Education can shift those odds… and you can help make it happen. Read on…
It has been somewhat under wraps, but now ready to roll out…Launchpad is a Go!!! Be the first to see our fantastic logo!!! Check it out…
Coming attractions: What’s happening over the next few months. Teams, conferences, travel, and more. You’ll want to know…
- April:
- Launchpad lifts off in the Roma village of Sangaj. We are scouting out the next two locations for later this year.
- Mary is attending a Daughters of the King Conference in Croatia.
- Continued search for student sponsors and new students in need of assistance
- More Serbian language school for us.
- May- June
- Finishing our second group of 50 language classes.
- We will be blessed by the arrival of a team from Next Level Church (Fort Myers FL). They will be providing free medical clinics and a fun-filled educational day camp.
- We have visitors from Pembroke UMC (Georgia) coming to see what we’re doing.
- There is a Special Visitor on the schedule, more to follow.
- August-September
- Looking forward to hosting a team all the way from Edmonton Alberta!
- Mary will be in the UK.
- Paul will be in Norway.
- Shopping for school supplies and books for all the sponsored students.
- October
- Hosting a team from a new church partner, Saratoga Abundant Life Church