Philippians 2:4 reads, “None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others.”
A powerful new video shows just how vital it is to support the poor and needy among us—especially young mothers living in poverty.
The video features Cindy, a 14-year-old from Sandino, Nicaragua, who has an infant daughter. In the video, the young woman explains the fear she had of telling her family about her pregnancy because she was concerned they would force her to have an abortion.
“I felt very happy about becoming a mom,” she said. “But I was very scared because of my parents. One day I heard them talking about getting money to pay for me to have an abortion in a private clinic.”
With the help of Compassion International’s Child Survival Program, Cindy and countless others have received the training and support needed to have a healthy pregnancy and the food, care, and camaraderie necessary to care for their children after birth.
“When she needed vitamins they gave them to me right away,” Cindy explained. “When I have a problem, I go to my group, and I can share with them, and we pray together. I go to church and I’m learning more about how to take care of my girl.”
Compassion International takes a “long-term approach to fighting child poverty” via its Holistic Child Development Model. The model consists of four comprehensive programs—including the Child Survival Program—meant to support children “from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood.” The program covers “everything from prenatal care to university-level education.”
Though Cindy just recently started working with the program, she became emotional when describing the emotional support the group provides.
“The Child Survival Program for me is like a big family because it’s where we all meet and we have our kids and we are all there together,” she said. “We laugh. We pray. We are together. And I never had that with my own family”
Learn more about Compassion International HERE.