Love Trust Helps a Dancing Princess Learn to Read
Graduation is always a time of celebration at Love Trust (Sri Lanka). It is intentionally filled with ceremony designed to congratulate accomplishments and to encourage the next cohort of learners. This winter, when Fellowship International missionary Ronald Jeyaseelan toured the Love Trust locations, he participated in the graduation ceremony and met one particular little girl. He shared his reflections about this dancing princess with the FAIR team:
“When I met her, Aishwarya* was excited to share her dance with her parents and all the graduation guests. In the ceremony she and her classmates were given the opportunity to show off their talents. As any normal five-year-old would be, she was nervous and excited.
“Many village girls from tea-picker families like Aishwarya never get this opportunity. They have been marginalized for generations, and were only recently given rights to citizenship and access to the social services that come with it. The families live on the daily wages earned by the parents; picking 18 kilos of tea made up of only the very best tea leaves on a branch. Anything less than a perfect quota means they’ll earn less than the going rate of $4-5 CAD for the day’s work.
“Without Love Trust’s work in her community, Aishwarya and her classmates would not get the learning foundations needed to start public school, and would quickly fall behind. This child looks the part of a radiant princess. Like so many girls the world over, she dreams of a better life. As Aishwarya performed before an admiring crowd of supporters — teachers, parents, friends, and community officials — she learned that she could stand in front of others and perform. She and her classmates did their best and were met by thunderous applause. The mood and expressions of the crowd were gratitude, celebration, and loving affirmation.
“But the graduation ceremony, as beautiful and inspiring as it is, is only a recognition of the hard work that has taken place before. Aishwarya and her classmates are learning to read, to love learning, and to challenge themselves. In this process of discovery, they learn that they have talents, interests, and opportunities ahead of them. This little girl’s life has been enriched with a gift that can never be taken away. Food, clothing, and gifts can all be taken, but education is hers forever.
“Once beyond the grasp of villagers, children like this lovely little girl can now do more than dream because they have the tools that make achieving their dreams possible.
“Alongside education, Love Trust is giving Aishwarya, and dozens like her from the same village, an even more significant hope. She now has the hope of the Good News that God loves her, has a good purpose for her life, and, through faith, she can know Him as her Lord and Saviour. Gospel stories are read, shared, and reinforced through the preschool’s values, prayers, and surrounding posters.
“Love Trust has given to this little girl, and those surrounding her, hope and a future.
“We invite you to join the many others who are sponsoring ‘little princesses’, just like her.”
*Name changed to protect privacy
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