My Nonprofit Reviews

Inspired by Rosalina
www.worldwidevillage.org

While they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” some moments are not caught on camera, yet are permanently ingrained in our minds. These moments are often the most special and are one of the reasons giving to World Wide Village is so meaningful to me.
What inspires me to give to World Wide Village? The answer is simple…the people we serve. People with real names, real faces and real stories you might have a hard time believing. People I have come to love. This short story is just one example of a thousand stories that I could share about why I choose to give to World Wide Village.
It was 2013 when my husband and I first traveled to Haiti to help with medical missions in a rural village. Our experiences in Haiti were life changing and we committed to leading medical trips twice a year going forward.
During our third trip we had the opportunity to meet Youventa Alseme, one of our sponsored children who was 4-years-old at the time. After school finished for the day, Youventa walked across the small gravel road to our makeshift clinic just to give us a shy “hello” (actually “Bonswa” in Haitian Creole).
After meeting Youventa, I really wanted to connect with her family to see how we could best support them. Youventa had a 10-year-old neighbor named Rosalina who offered to walk us to her home.
My friend and I set off to meet Youventa’s family with a Haitian translator, Rosalina, Rosalina’s sister named Anchilove, Rosalina’s younger cousin and Youventa. In Haiti I always wear very sturdy shoes because of the poor walking conditions. We often walk through sharp gravel, rough “grasses”, occasional broken glass and garbage.
As we were walking I noticed that Rosalina and Youventa were the only two girls with shoes. Anchilove and Rosalina’s younger cousin were barefoot and carefully stepping on the rough path.
The memories of the next moment will forever be etched on my heart as I watched a girl at the tender age of ten demonstrate so much love and self-sacrifice.

I remember watching as Anchilove walked barefoot holding onto Rosalina’s hand.

I remember hearing Anchilove’s soft cry as she stepped on a thorn in the rough path.

I remember watching Rosalina bend down and gently remove the thorn from her sister’s small foot.

I remember watching Rosalina selflessly remove her own shoes and offer them to her younger cousin as she lifted Anchilove onto her back.

I remember watching Rosalina carry Anchilove while she walked barefoot through the thorns.

These moments are what inspire me to give to World Wide Village and the work they are doing in Haiti. Girls like Rosalina deserve the opportunity to receive an education. Girls like Rosalina deserve medical care in their community. Girls like Rosalina deserve to live in a community where housing and jobs are available for their parents. Girls like Rosalina deserve to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the mission of World Wide Village and the reason I am inspired to give. This is #MyGivingStory.