Strengthened families, thriving children

Kids Alive ministry focuses on children and strengthens their families so they can thrive in school and at home. We invite or rescue children and youth from hard circumstances and help them to grow up well, and the children themselves often become instruments of blessing to their families and beyond.

In our schools, another critical way to help a child is to help their caregivers. Regular activities such as parenting classes or school events let us guide and encourage the children’s caregivers. Additionally, our campuses have increasing counseling ability to provide direct help as well.

One such case we were able to help is that of eleven-year-old Alexis* and her paternal grandmother.

Alexis and her grandmother moved into the village around two years ago. She began to attend Kids Alive’s Park School as a fourth-grader last year. Her life was full of transitions, abuse, and relational trauma from her parents, who live in the country’s capital, Santo Domingo. The scars on her back confirmed her physical abuse, but we believe she also suffered verbal abuse and emotional trauma from constant fighting between her parents.

Though her grandmother was loving, and her place was safe, Alexis did not thrive. Her grandmother worried about Alexis’s behavior, conduct, and future schooling as Alexis did not want to do her schoolwork and fought with children in her neighborhood. She was also going to bed past midnight.

The breaking point came when Alexis slapped her caregiver, which triggered the counseling department to step in. Our school psychologist met and interviewed the caregiver and Alexis individually, and later together, to understand the situation and establish an agreement to improve the situation in the home. The school set up additional counseling appointments with the psychologist for both.

A week later, the caregiver arrived with the student’s schoolwork. She shared that Alexis is content and grateful to the school, and the girl’s behavior has improved significantly. Alexis is doing her homework, going to bed earlier, and her fighting and tantrums have subsided.

Our God doesn’t give up on us, and we are grateful for our staff who didn’t give up on Alexis!

*Name changed

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