Alongside their older sister, they entered protective care looking for safety, stability, and a place where they could begin healing from difficulties that abuse and trauma in their . Over time, their older sister reached adulthood and moved out to begin a life of independence as a young adult. But Julia and Ana remained.
For the next decade, Juniper Tree became the place where they grew up.
The girls attended school, built friendships, participated in discipleship programs, and were surrounded by caregivers who invested deeply in their wellbeing. They received the care, support, and encouragement they needed to thrive. Yet beneath the stability they found at Juniper Tree remained a longing that many children in protective care quietly carry.
They wanted a family of their own.
For years, that hope felt distant. Yet even while Julia and Ana were growing up at Juniper Tree, God was quietly weaving together relationships that would one day change their lives. What began as regular visits to a nearby church would eventually become something much more.
Throughout their childhood, the sisters attended a nearby church where Pastor Daniel and his wife, Sonia, faithfully served. Week after week, the girls participated in church services, discipleship programs, and activities led by the couple. Over the years, trust grew naturally through shared meals, conversations, encouragement, and spiritual mentorship. Daniel and Sonia became familiar faces in the girls' lives—people who consistently showed up and cared.
Then, when Ana was fourteen years old, she asked a question that would change everything.
She looked at Daniel and Sonia and asked if they would consider becoming her foster family.
The request caught them by surprise. They loved the girls deeply, but they had never imagined becoming foster parents. Yet Ana's question stayed with them. As they prayed, sought guidance, and learned more about the foster care process through Kids Alive Peru and local authorities, they began to sense God inviting them into something new.
Eventually, the answer became clear: They said yes.
In December, Daniel and Sonia arrived at Juniper Tree to bring Julia and Ana home. Excitement filled the day, but so did uncertainty. After spending most of their lives in protective care, adjusting to family life would take time.
Throughout the transition, Kids Alive Peru continued to provide wraparound family strengthening support. Counseling, educational support, parenting resources, and ongoing encouragement helped ensure that the girls and their foster family were equipped to navigate this new chapter together.
For the Kids Alive Peru team, the goal has always been more than providing protective care. Whenever possible, they work toward helping children experience the blessing of family—whether through reunification with relatives or placement with carefully supported foster families. By equipping caregivers with practical tools, ongoing support, and trauma-informed guidance, the team helps families build the trust, stability, and connection that allow children to thrive.
For Julia, learning to trust and fully express herself was a gradual process. She shared that at first she did not feel confident, but over time she began participating more freely in family conversations, sharing meals, making jokes, and allowing herself to be known. Little by little, she developed a deep connection with the people who had welcomed her into their home.
Ana's transition was slower. New routines, household expectations, and family dynamics required adjustment. Yet as the months passed, she too began finding her place within the family.
Today, both girls are thriving.
Julia spends her time serving in church ministries, helping with children's and youth programs, and dreaming about studying graphic design and English after high school. Ana enjoys school, caring for her pet chicken, and looking forward to celebrating important milestones with both family and friends.
Their story reflects a truth that has been present from the beginning: healing happens in community, not isolation.
Long before Daniel and Sonia became foster parents, they were faithful friends, mentors, and spiritual leaders in the girls' lives. Through years of consistent care, trust was built one relationship at a time. What began as simple acts of kindness eventually became something much greater—a family.
Scripture reminds us:"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Today, Julia and Ana are experiencing the blessing of belonging—not only to a family, but to a community of people who have faithfully reflected God's love along the way. Their story is a reminder that brotherly kindness is more than a single act of compassion. It is the steady, faithful presence that helps children discover they are known, loved, and never alone.
Why Healing a Child Means Healing a Family: Download our free resource guide to learn how Family Systems Therapy can help families break unhealthy cycles, strengthen relationships, and build a healthier future together.
At Kids Alive Lebanon’s Dar El Awlad School, his teachers knew him as a teenager who learned quickly, participated in class, and usually kept up well with his studies. He was smart, capable, and full of potential.
But over time, his teachers began noticing a change.
Samir’s grades started to slip. He seemed distracted in class. Some days, he looked tired and withdrawn, as if something outside the classroom was weighing heavily on him. The student who had once been eager to learn was beginning to pull back.
In Lebanon, many children and families are carrying pressures that are not always visible. Ongoing instability, limited opportunity, and the stress of daily life can place strain on homes and relationships. For children, that stress often shows up first in the classroom—through exhaustion, withdrawal, conflict, or a sudden change in performance.
For Samir, the change was connected to anxiety at home.
When he made mistakes, his father punished him. Over time, Samir began feeling afraid to go home. To avoid that fear, he started spending more time outside with friends, staying out late and drifting away from the rhythms that had once helped him stay focused and steady. What began as a way to cope slowly began affecting his studies, his confidence, and his overall well-being.
On the surface, Samir was just a student losing focus, spending more time away from home, and falling behind a bit in school. But his teachers recognized the signs of something deeper. They knew he needed help beyond the classroom.
At Kids Alive, education is not only about academics. It is also about knowing each child well enough to notice when they are not thriving—and taking action. Samir’s teachers followed up with him regularly, creating space for him to feel seen, supported, and safe enough to share what was happening. Through their encouragement, Samir was referred to the school psychologist, where he slowly began opening up about his struggles and stress.
That support became an important turning point—not only for Samir, but for this family.
After learning more about the situation, the psychologist reached out to Samir’s father and invited him to meet. Through those conversations, it became clear that his father was also carrying significant pressure and struggling to manage his emotions. Rather than approaching the situation with shame or blame, the psychologist worked closely with him, offering guidance and practical strategies to help him respond differently to stress and parenting challenges.
This is what family strengthening can look like in daily life: not simply addressing a child’s behavior, but walking alongside the whole family so that relationships can begin to heal. Samir needed safe adults who noticed what was happening beneath the surface. His father needed support, encouragement, and practical tools to respond with patience instead of fear or frustration. Together, they needed a community willing to help them move toward something healthier.
Through the team displaying brotherly kindness, it reminded their family that healing happens in community, not isolation. As Scripture says,
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
For Samir’s father, that support made a difference. He was willing to listen, cooperate, and begin applying what he learned. Over time, the relationship between father and son began to change. Their home became less defined by fear and more marked by understanding. Samir began experiencing more support, and the bond between them started to mend.
As that relationship grew stronger, Samir also needed healthy ways to use his energy, express himself, and rebuild confidence. The team helped enroll him in art school, giving him a structured and creative outlet. Instead of spending long hours outside without direction, he began engaging in activities that helped him grow with purpose, like beginning training with his football team.
These changes did not happen all at once. They came through steady care, honest conversations, and a community who refused to give up on Samir or his family.
Little by little, Samir began to return to himself.
His confidence grew. His academic performance began to recover. He started getting back on track, not because one person solved everything for him, but because a circle of support formed around him—teachers who noticed, a psychologist who listened, a father who was willing to grow, and a school community committed to helping him experience stability and belonging.
Today, Samir is not only recovering academically: he is experiencing what it feels like to be supported, learning that home can be a safe place and challenges do not have to be faced alone.
Through family strengthening, Kids Alive Lebanon is helping children like Samir experience the kind of community every child needs: one where they are known, protected, encouraged, and given room to grow.
And as bonds begin to mend, children can step into a future shaped not by fear, but by hope.
Become a Student Champion
Children like Samir need schools where they are not only taught, but known, supported, and encouraged. Your support helps Kids Alive schools provide education, counseling, spiritual discipleship, and family strengthening that help students grow in confidence, stability, and belonging.
Become a Student Champion today and help children learn, heal, and thrive in classrooms where their families are strengthened and bonds can mend.
Why Healing a Child Means Healing a Family: Samir’s story is a reminder that when families receive support alongside their children, healing and stability can begin to grow together. Download our free resource guide to learn more about the role Family Systems Therapy can play in helping children and families heal together.
At the beginning of the school year, Wilson* was known as a student who carried his emotions close to the surface. Frustration often came out quickly — through arguments with classmates, harsh words, or conflicts that could escalate in moments. Even small disagreements sometimes became larger confrontations. For the teachers and staff walking alongside him each day, it was clear that Wilson was navigating more than what could be seen on the surface.
In Haiti, where ongoing instability, violence, and uncertainty often shape daily life, many children arrive at school already carrying stress, fear, and emotional exhaustion. For some children, those feelings show up not in words, but in reactions—raised voices, impulsive behavior, or the instinct to protect themselves before anyone else can hurt them.
What others may have dismissed as “bad behavior,” the Kids Alive Haiti team recognized as a child struggling to manage emotions from the survival instincts he had developed from a childhood surrounded in turmoil.
At Kids Alive School, teachers and staff took time to look beyond Wilson’s behavior and understand the stress and emotions driving it. Instead of only focusing on correction, the school brought together caregivers, a social worker, the psychology team, and spiritual mentor Pastor Wesly to better understand what was happening beneath the surface. Staff members spent time listening to him, helping him pause before reacting, talk through situations, and practice healthier ways to respond when frustration rose.
Day by day, there were small shifts that began to take root.
At first, the progress was small. There were still difficult days. But over time, he began learning that he did not have to react to every situation immediately. He could stop. Breathe. Ask for help. Walk away rather than compete for the upper hand.
The adults around Wilson consistently reminded him of one of the Kids Alive Life Declarations:self-control is strength that creates space for wisdom.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
One day during recess, a classmate provoked and hit him. In the past, Wilson would have fought back instantly. But this time, he paused.
Instead of retaliating, he walked over to a nearby staff member and reported what had happened.
Later, he explained, “I was about to defend myself when I heard Mr. Judex’s voice in my head, reminding me that I must go to the staff members nearby to better manage the situation.”
For the staff, it may have seemed like a small moment. But for Wilson, it represented something much bigger.
He chose not to let anger control him. He chose the wisdom of self-control over reaction. He chose a different path.
Staff members were able to step in quickly, de-escalate the situation, and help both students move forward peacefully. More importantly, Wilson began realizing that his voice mattered—and that asking for help was not weakness, but demonstrated maturity.
From that day forward, Wilson’s growth became more visible. Teachers noticed him taking more time before responding in frustration. He became more thoughtful with classmates and more willing to communicate with adults instead of reacting impulsively. The student who once felt defined by conflict was beginning to see himself differently.
By the end of the school year, the school recognized Wilson for his improved behavior. But the real transformation was happening far deeper than the classroom rules he had learned to follow.
Wilson was beginning to understand that he was not trapped by his past reactions or mistakes. He was capable of growth. Capable of wisdom. Capable of choosing peace.
Today, Wilson is still learning and growing each day. What once felt like constant conflict is becoming a life shaped by courage, self-control, and the belief that a different future is possible when he leans into his strength as a child of God.
Become a Student Champion
Children like Wilson need safe classrooms, caring mentors, and steady support as they grow up surrounded by ongoing instability and uncertainty in Haiti. Your support helps create places where children can learn, build healthy relationships, gain confidence, and discover a future shaped by hope instead of fear.
Your support makes that possible. Become a Student Champion to help children experience the care, encouragement, and opportunity every child deserves.
Nour* is a 16-year-old Syrian refugee living in Lebanon, where many families face difficult decisions shaped by hardship, displacement, and limited opportunity. As she reached her teenage years, her family began encouraging her toward an early marriage—believing it was the best path forward for securing her future and stability.
But Nour had a different hope.
For years, she had been attending Kids Alive’s New Horizons Center, a place where she received tutoring, participated in vocational activities like computer classes and jewelry-making, and spent time in Bible study and community with other girls her age. In a world that often felt uncertain, the Center became a steady place in her life—somewhere she felt seen, supported, and safe. Through the care, prayer, and encouragement she received there, Nour began to see that what God's promises held for her life. She shared with a staff member,
"Now I know that my life is held in God's hope."
As the pressure at home increased, Nour found the courage to speak up. While her family believed marriage would protect her future, Nour shared that she wanted to continue her education and grow before taking on that responsibility. The situation was delicate. Her family did not want outside intervention, and the New Horizons team knew they needed to respond carefully in a way that protected both Nour and her relationship with her family.
As they walked alongside her, they encouraged her to rest in God's promises over her life:
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Rather than reacting with confrontation, the staff responded with prayer, wisdom, and patience. Suzanne, the Center coordinator, spent time praying for guidance before beginning gentle conversations with Nour’s mother during regular visits to the Center. As trust grew, Suzanne encouraged her to listen closely to her daughter’s heart, reminding her of the importance of education, maturity, and God’s timing in major life decisions.
Over time, there was a shift in Nour's spirit and her family's household.
When the team went on a house visit, they noticed meaningful change in the relationship between Nour and her mother. Conversations had softened. Trust was growing. Eventually, the family made the decision to pause their plans for marriage and support Nour in continuing her education.
Today, Nour continues attending school while growing through tutoring, vocational training, and Bible study at the New Horizons Center. She is building confidence, practical skills, and a vision for her future—surrounded by people who consistently remind her that her life has value, her voice matters, and her future is secure in Christ.
For Nour, what began as a quiet act of courage is becoming a future marked by hope, dignity, and the freedom to keep growing into who God created her to be.
Become a Safe Haven Champion
Children like Nour need safe places where they can grow, learn, and discover that their voice matters. Your support helps provide education, mentoring, spiritual discipleship, and family strengthening that create bonds that mend.
Your support makes that possible. Become a Safe Haven Champion today to allow children to learn how deeply they are loved by God and invited to become fully alive in His promises over their future.
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