Lin* is a 13-year-old boy who looks more like the age of 10. When one of our staff asked him how his scholarship helps support his dreams, he said:

“It helps me to eat whatever I want to eat when I’m hungry.”

At first our staff member thought it was the typical teenage boy appetite talking, until she was informed that Lin’s father is an alcoholic, and as a result does not have a steady income, meaning they often do not have food at home, leaving Lin hungry. This is one of the reasons he loves to come to our Resource Center: to eat.

Did you know?

All of the students in an interview spoke of The Freedom Story’s Resource Center as feeling like a second or third home (some of them considered school to be their second home). About 70% of the primary school interviewees described our staff as being like a second family. About 60% said they felt more connected to The Freedom Story staff and their friends at the Resource Center than their own families at home. Of the remaining 40%, most reported feeling happy at home, though stronger and more hopeful around The Freedom Story staff. (from our Social Impact Assessment, 2015-2016)

Prevention is about building a community and being a safe place to turn to. It’s not just the dollars––it’s the heart that is poured into creating and maintaining relationships of trust, and providing the basic foundation of stability that at-risk children lack in their lives.

*Name changed to protect privacy