Valeria* is 15 years old and has been at Oasis since July 2025. She is quiet and observant, yet carries a deep inner strength, curiosity, and a strong sense of right and wrong — of justice.
But eight years of her childhood were marked by profound harm within her home.
Beginning at just six years old, Valeria endured repeated abuse by her father. For nearly half her life, violence was her normal. Instead of protection and care, she experienced fear, isolation, and control. She was kept out of school, forced to work during the day, and cut off from the outside world. By the time she arrived at Oasis at age 14, she had never attended school and had little understanding of life beyond survival.
Valeria was brought to Oasis, the temporary protection home of Kids Alive Guatemala. She arrived malnourished, developmentally behind, and deeply traumatized — not only from sustained violence, but also from years of verbal abuse and isolation. She struggled with depression and barely spoke during her first days at Oasis.
Valeria’s psychologist shared, “In all of my time as a psychologist and the places I’ve worked, I’ve never heard a story like hers.”
And yet, little by little, healing began.
Faith, Healing, and a New Identity
Through consistent therapy, Valeria is processing her trauma in a safe, supportive environment. In the three caregivers at Oasis — her tías — she has found steady adults who walk with her daily, offering structure, encouragement, and safe relationships.
For the first time in her life, she enrolled in school and now receives specialized educational support from Kids Alive Guatemala teachers. Though learning foundational literacy as a teenager requires perseverance, she continues to grow. Her prayer is that she will keep healing and develop strong reading and writing skills — foundations once denied to her.
Faith has become core to her restoration. She looks forward to weekly devotions, and during Kids Alive Guatemala’s first camp in October, she was one of 17 girls who chose to invite Jesus into her heart. She is beginning to understand that her identity is not defined by what was done to her.
In November 2025, Valeria celebrated her milstone fifteenth birthday, surrounded by the girls in her home and honored with a Quince Años celebration, she experienced joy and belonging — a reclaiming of childhood.
A Future Still Unfolding
Today, Valeria is healing and growing. She’s even learning to care for others at Oasis. She speaks up when something feels unjust and runs eagerly onto the soccer field, embracing life as a child again. Her story is not over.
She is safe. She is known. She is being restored.
Become a Safe Haven Champion
Children like Valeria deserve safety, healing, and the chance to rediscover the joy of childhood. Your support helps provide protective care, counseling, education, and the steady relationships that allow children to rebuild their lives after abuse. Become a Safe Haven Champion today and help create spaces where children are protected, heard, and restored.
Shadi* was seven years old when he first entered a classroom.
Before that, his days followed a very different rhythm. Growing up in a Dom community in southern Lebanon, Shadi spent his time wandering the streets, asking for money and doing what he could to help support his family. Education had never been part of his life. Like many children in displaced and marginalized communities, his world was shaped by survival, not structure, and there was little opportunity to imagine something different.
When the team from the New Horizons Care Center first visited his camp during the summer of 2025, they encouraged families to send their children to the Center—a place where they could receive education, care, and a chance to grow. Shadi’s parents agreed, hoping it would open a different path for their son. But for Shadi, the transition was anything but easy.
The classroom felt unfamiliar. The routines felt restrictive. He didn’t understand why he needed to be there. He skipped classes and avoided showing up. At home, the expectation to attend grew stronger. For Shadi, school quickly became something associated with pressure rather than safety.
But at the New Horizons Care Center, change does not begin with pressure. It begins with presence.
Shadi’s teacher recognized that his resistance was not defiance—it was uncertainty, fear, and a lack of trust in something he had never experienced before. Instead of forcing him into compliance, she chose to come alongside him with patience and care. She spent time talking with him, getting to know him, and helping him feel seen in a space that once felt foreign. Her goal was not simply for him to attend, but for him to want to come—to experience the Center as a place of safety rather than a requirement.
“I began to show him care, talk with him, and help him,” she shared, “so he would begin to come on his own.”
Over time, something began to shift. Shadi started to trust her. He began to open up, sharing about his life in the camp, what he enjoyed, and who he spent his time with. The classroom slowly became a place where he was known, not just instructed.
With that trust came the first signs of growth.
When Shadi first arrived, he did not know how to hold a pencil properly. Writing was unfamiliar, and letters held no meaning. But with consistent encouragement and patient guidance, he began to learn. Within a few months, he was able to write his name—something that once felt impossible. He started recognizing letters, engaging in lessons, and grasping the concepts being taught in the classroom.
What began as resistance was becoming engagement.
Yet the most meaningful transformation was not just in what Shadi was learning, but in who he was becoming.
At the Center, Shadi began to interact with other children in new ways. He played with his peers, shared food and toys, and communicated more openly. He started to experience what it meant to be part of a community—something that had been missing from his early years. The relationships around him began to shape how he saw himself and how he responded to others.
When conflicts arise with his friends, his response reflects a deeper change taking place within him. Instead of reacting in anger, Shadi chooses forgiveness. He explains it simply: Jesus did not teach him revenge, but to love his friends and forgive them.
This is the kind of transformation that restorative education makes possible.
At the New Horizons Care Center, education is not limited to academics. Each day begins with prayer and Scripture, followed by lessons in literacy, math, and life skills. For many children, it is their first experience of structure, stability, and encouragement. Teachers and staff walk alongside each child with intentional care, helping them process what they have experienced during displacement, while also equipping them for what lies ahead.
In this environment, children begin to understand something foundational: they are not defined by their circumstances.
They are valued. They are capable. They are loved.
Scripture speaks to this identity clearly:
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." (1 John 3:1)
For Shadi, this truth is no longer just taught—it is taking root in his heart. Through the consistency of his teacher, the rhythms of the classroom, and the relationships forming around him, he is beginning to see himself differently—not as a child overlooked or defined by survival, but as someone with purpose, dignity, and a future.
Today, Shadi is no longer the boy who avoided the classroom. He arrives ready to learn, eager to participate, and engaged in the life of the Center. What once felt unfamiliar has become a place of belonging. What once felt forced has become something he chooses.
His story is still unfolding, but the direction has changed.
Through restorative education, Shadi is not only gaining knowledge—he is rediscovering who he is. And for children like him, that changes everything.
Become a Safe Haven Champion
Children like Shadi deserve the chance to discover their worth and step into a hopeful future. Your support helps provide education, care, and the relationships that allow children to grow in confidence and belonging. Become a Safe Haven Champion today and help create spaces where children are supported, encouraged, and equipped to thrive.
Rachel* is 10 years old and has lived in Kids Alive Haiti’s Safe Haven since she was three. After losing both of her parents, she entered the Haiti Children’s Village when it became clear she was not receiving the care and stability she needed from extended family. Today, she is known for her cheerful and polite spirit, bringing warmth to those around her. Yet for several years, school was a persistent struggle.
Rachel showed little interest in classroom activities and often resisted engaging in lessons. Despite her teachers’ efforts, she repeated the same grade three times. What appeared on the surface as disengagement was, in reality, a child needing more individualized support.
Meeting Challenges with Collaboration and Care
At Kids Alive Haiti, learning challenges are never treated as simple academic failure. They are met with collaboration and care.
A support team was formed around Rachel. Her teacher at the Kids Alive School implemented support tailored specifically to her learning needs. Lessons were adapted, expectations recalibrated, and teaching methods refined to help her grasp foundational concepts at her own pace. At the same time, social workers provided individualized psychosocial follow-up, creating space for Rachel to build confidence and process challenges. Her caregivers offered daily supervision and consistent encouragement, reinforcing the value of perseverance in her educational journey. Together, teacher, social worker, and family worked as one team.
Progress That Took Time
By the end of the first quarter this year, a meaningful shift had taken place. Rachel was admitted into the second grade and earned grades that showed significant improvement. More importantly, her engagement changed. She began participating more consistently in lessons and showed greater willingness to learn.
This progress did not happen overnight. It was the result of steady, holistic support — educational adjustments, emotional care, and consistent encouragement working together.
A Different Path Forward
In Haiti, where instability and educational barriers often disrupt a child’s schooling, Rachel is experiencing something different: consistency, structure, and patient investment. Continued academic assistance and close monitoring remain in place to help her maintain momentum through the remainder of the school year.
Rachel’s story is a reminder that when children are surrounded by love, structure, and collaborative care, growth becomes possible. What once felt like a cycle of repetition is now a path forward. And step by steady step, Rachel is moving ahead.
Become a Safe Haven Champion
Children like Rachel deserve the patience, encouragement, and support they need to grow and succeed. Your support helps provide trauma-informed care, individualized education, and the steady relationships that allow children to build confidence and move forward in their learning. Become a Safe Haven Champion today and help create spaces where children are supported, encouraged, and equipped to thrive.
Maureen* was orphaned at a young age and raised by her elderly grandmother in a rural Kenyan community. Her grandmother, who was ill and partially blind, loved her deeply but struggled to provide the stability and protection Maureen needed. In a community where harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and forced child marriage were widely accepted, girls were often valued only for the bride price they might bring. With limited protection at home and mounting pressure from predatory cultural practices, Maureen was at risk of losing her education — and her voice — before she had the chance to grow strong.
Finding Safety, Stability & Identity
When she entered Kids Alive Kenya’s Karundas Residential Program in 2016, she was timid and withdrawn. Her quietness was more than shyness. Having grown up in an environment where she had no voice, Maureen thought she was worthless. Even when she knew the answers in class at Hall Mead School, she was silent. Her academic struggles reflected something deeper — she thought her voice didn't matter.
At Kids Alive Kenya, Maureen encountered steady, holistic care. Through trauma-informed teaching, counseling, mentorship, and consistent spiritual discipleship, she began to experience stability. Caregivers introduced her to the love of Christ — not as an abstract idea, but as a defining truth that called her into a relationship with a Heavenly Father. Slowly, she began to believe she was cherished and created with purpose.
As her confidence grew, so did her performance. She completed primary school in 2022, advanced through Junior Secondary School by 2025, and entered Senior Secondary School in 2026 — milestones that had once seemed impossible for her.
A Voice for the Future
But the transformation extended beyond academics. Maureen’s leadership calling emerged. She has served as Games Captain, Dining Hall Captain, and Head Girl. She participates in handball and leads devotions and worship at church. The girl who once shrank back now stands firm for what is right and leads others with courage.
The impact has reached her family as well. Through continued engagement, her grandmother’s perspective has shifted. Education is now embraced, and the cycle that once threatened Maureen’s future is being interrupted.
Today, Maureen aspires to become an advocate for rights of girls and women. Her life reflects Proverbs 31:8–9: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
The girl who was once at risk of being silenced has found her voice. Now, she is using it to shape a different future.
Become a Safe Haven Champion
Children like Maureen deserve protection, healing, and the chance to grow in a safe and loving environment. Your support helps provide trauma-informed care, family restoration, and the steady reminder that every child is deeply loved by God. Become a Safe Haven Champion today and help justice and restoration take root.
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