Blossoming into a model student

Diana has transformed from a troubled, challenging child into a model pupil since joining the Stand by Me school in Colombia, thanks to the love and care she has been receiving.

When Diana enrolled at our Centro Educativo Cristiano School in Colombia in 2008, she was an easily distracted student, she refused to do her homework and her family life was problematic. Her future was not looking good and Stand by Me staff were in despair, not knowing how to help her.

Diana has not had an easy home life. She lives in a block-built house with just two rooms to share between her parents and their eight children. Both rooms are used for cooking, eating and sleeping and their bathroom is a small building outside the house with a washing area in the shade, where the family wash the dishes and clothes. The conditions are unpleasant, particularly in the winter, but are very common in the town of Guacamayal, where our school is based.

Diana’s father travels to a nearby town each day to buy bananas, which he then sells in his home town for a very small income. The family also have a few banana trees of their own, and when they are lucky enough to have spare ripe fruit, they also sell this to get by. Diana’s mum stays at home to care for the family, and they struggle for their daily essentials.

Given her family circumstances, Diana was accepted into the Stand by Me school and is supported through our child sponsorship programme. She continues to live at home with her family, and has good food and regular health checks at school. As the constant love and care Diana received from her teachers helped her to feel secure and full of hope, her attitude began to change and today, Diana has blossomed into a bright young girl, full of enthusiasm for her studies, with a kind and helpful attitude to those around here. Her favourite subject is science and she enjoys playing soccer, like many of the children in Colombia. She also loves to play marbles, watch television and help her mum around the house.

The Centro Educativo Cristiano School in Guacamayal is caring for over 300 of the areas poorest children like Diana, providing them with a hot meal and a quality education each day. You can find out about more children at our school in Colombia by reading Rosa’s story