To celebrate International Women's Day we bring you Sokun's story of freedom, empowerment, and faith.
Sokun is a university student with a strong work ethic, a gentle spirit and a kind heart. When asked what she hopes for the future, she replied "I hope that I can continue to learn and grow in my pharmacy and health care skills. I hope that I can help people who need help."
Sokun came to Light of Hope as a little girl of six. Her parents had both abandoned her and were presumed dead. Her elderly grandmother was struggling to look after and provide for her. Sokun’s situation left her vulnerable to malnutrition, trafficking, abuse, and child labour, and gave her little hope for the future.
Shy and placid, Sokun was given lots of love and attention by her new family at Light of Hope, and soon settled in smoothly. “Light of Hope changed my life from being a girl with no food to eat, not enough clothes to wear, and no education, to a girl who is healthy and has a beautiful life.”
Poverty had prevented Sokun from attending school before she arrived at Light of Hope. She was enrolled in Kindergarten to enable her to gain a firm foundation for her future education, and was very soon achieving excellent grades. By the age of eight she often had the highest monthly scores in her class, a trend that continued throughout primary school then high school. She was always diligent in completing her schoolwork, and helped others when they struggled.
Sokun’s free time as a child was full of giggles and flower crowns, make-believe and drawing. She loved to sing and pray in church and help her house mother with the chores. Light of Hope made sure her grandmother remained a special part of Sokun’s life. “I was very excited when we would visit my Grandma. She passed away when I was 12 years old, so I didn’t go there (to my homeland) again.”
At the age of 13 Sokun made the decision to be baptised. “I love that I can learn to trust in God here (at Light of Hope)” the young girl told her sponsors. As she grew, Sokun took on leadership roles in the church, teaching the younger children and leading worship.
Throughout her teen years, Sokun dreamed of entering the medical field and being able to help people. Her tertiary scholarship from Light of Hope made that dream possible, and she grasped the opportunity with single-mindedness and dedication. She is now in the final year of her Pharmacy degree and looks with confidence towards when she will be able to make a difference for others in her community. We are so proud of the thoughtful, kind, hard working young woman Sokun has become, and so are her sponsors.
Sokun’s story of her “beautiful life” is an example of what is possible when girls living in poverty are give the opportunity to hope, the opportunity to shine. We invite you to give a young girl that opportunity today.
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