My name is Jolene, and I am 14 years old and in the tenth grade. My family consists of my mom, dad, two older sisters, and a younger brother. My oldest sister is married and has a son who is about one year old. Our family attends church every Sunday, and we all are very much involved with activities at church. I am thankful for God, that my family is healthy, that we have a house to live in, and we have plenty of things that make life less challenging than some countries. My younger brother and I attend a Christian school, and are getting a good education.

Many of those things, which I just described, are "normal" or "common" ways, here in the United States. However, many countries are not so lucky. South Sudan has had a lot of fighting going on for many years, which has caused a lot of people to run from their homes. Many children have lost their parents, or do not know if their parents are alive. A typical day for them may be to fish all day, hoping to catch something for their daily meal. The orphans are found wondering the streets, begging, stealing, and doing anything they can just to survive. They often are found sleeping on the open ground with no blanket or sleeping bag. The orphans do not get schooling, unless a person is willing to pay for their tuition.

Some kids may think it would be great not to have to go to school, but the children in South Sudan are yearning to get an education. The schools are all privately run, so that means that each child that goes to school, needs to pay to go to school.

A church in South Sudan is helping many orphans off the streets, but still need money to send these kids to go to school. I wanted to get involved and help because every child deserves an education and someone to help them when he needs it most. I wanted to sponsor a child who was my age and was a boy, since I only have one brother. I looked at the photos of the orphans, and I chose the boy that looked like he really wanted to go to school. With God's help, and the help from the people in the United States, we can make their life a little better one child at a time. I pray for my brother, Chiech Dau Machar in South Sudan and all of the other orphans who need sponsors. I am glad to sponsor a child, and I hope you will sponsor one too. For more information about sponsoring an orphan, please contact USLC. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..