Once a child enrolled in World Vision’s child sponsorship programme in Romania, 21-year-old Andreea is now giving back as a volunteer for World Vision's Ukraine Crisis Response, where she is helping to support refugee children as they flee Ukraine.
Andreea’s hometown is a small rural area. When she was young, many children in her village did not attend school. Most spent their day in the fields caring for animals, as their parents did not have money to buy basic school supplies. When she was in the sixth grade, World Vision began to work in her community. From there onwards, everything changed for Andreea and her classmates.
Child sponsorship connects children living in vulnerable situations with sponsors whose pooled support helps create programmes and resources that benefit the entire community. Though not a sponsored child herself, Andreea participated in programmes and activities made possible by the Child Sponsorship programme in her community. These programmes helped students develop public speaking skills, encouraged children to pursue higher education and worked on self-esteem issues.
“Before I was very shy. I was scared to get involved in different activities. I always sat in the back rows because I was afraid to speak and I hoped not to be seen so that the teachers would not make me talk,” explains Andreea. “But Nicoleta and Ioana, our coordinators at that time, did their jobs very well and it was impossible not to get involved in the activities.”