Panorama view of the village SOS Children's Village Assomada, Cape…
Former SOS mother Martinha talks about her now 20-year-old son Marco Paulo in a very emotional way and full of pride. Do you want to know why?
- Lisa
-
Panorama view of the village SOS Children's Village Assomada, Cape Verde
Former SOS mother Martinha talks about her now 20-year-old son Marco Paulo in a very emotional way and full of pride. Do you want to know why?
Martinha retired three years ago after spending 16 years as SOS mother at SOS Children's Village Assomada in Cape Verde. Out of the children she has raised, three girls and six boys have been resettled so far. Marco Paulo, one of her sons, moved to the SOS Youth Facility in Assomada four years ago. Recently, he publicly expressed his will to follow the religious path and become a friar and then a priest. Martinha expresses how proud and supportive she is of her 20-year-old son.
With a lot of emotions and tears in her eyes, Martinha still finds her words to tell us how she feels about the decision Marco Paulo has just publicly revealed: "I am very proud of him because I see the result of my efforts! He has not given me any shame and has always been a good boy".
"Since he was little, he has always been very obedient. He was not quarrelling, was not fighting like the other boys and was always helping me in the house" recalls Martinha. "I have always told myself that God had sent me this child to help me! I could go out and leave him to take care of his younger siblings and he would always do it very well", she adds.
Marco Paulo was two when he was admitted in SOS Children's Village Assomada where Martinha had just started her work as an SOS mother. "I taught my children what I have been taught in my own family. As I ate, they ate, as I respected them, they respected me, as I obeyed to the word of God, they obeyed..." explains Martinha.
She would never have guessed that the religious education she gave Marco Paulo throughout the years would have guided him in his future steps. "I first taught Marco Paulo to say good night to his guardian angel and thank him. Then I taught him the 'Hail Mary' and finally the rosary", remembers Martinha, still with a lot of emotions.
"I told Marco Paulo he has chosen the life of the poor, but if he feels God has called him, he should follow him", she adds, "I'll just pray for him to stay strong and follow his vocation..."
- Mary
-
Cakes a little girl has made and is selling at a charity fair in the SOS school in Keila, Estonia
This year's charity fair in the SOS School Keila, Estonia, the guests had a chance to buy magic drinks and all they would need for celebrating Easter.
A slight change in the marketing brought the record income for the annual charity fair in the SOS School in Keila, Estonia.
The organisers shifted the start of the charity fair from the daytime to the evening, so that the parents of the schoolchildren could join the fair to have a look on their kids selling skills and to buy a small Easter gift.
The move was justified - at the end of the day the income was 3,963 Estonian kroons (approximately 255 Euro), which was donated to the local Keila Youth Centre.
15 companies founded by the school children for that purpose sold their self-made stuff: everything connected with Easter (rabbits, decorated eggs etc), cakes, sandwiches, cards, decorated bottles, necklaces, juice, tea, and magic drinks.
"One of the peculiarities of this year's fair was the selling skills - advertising and giving an extra value for the goods," said the managing director of the school. "The magic drink is a perfect example how the regular raspberry tea was marketed as a drink which is enriched with magic words."
The SOS School organised the charity fair for the fourth year in a row, first time they donated the money (approx. 50 Euro) to Keila Hospital for drawing supplies, the second year the money (approx. 100 Euro) was donated to the Orphanage Centre in Tallinn. Last year's collected money (approx. 130 Euro) was donated to SOS Children's Village Kutaisi, Georgia, and a local medical centre.
"Our school is working thanks to supporters from outside Estonia and we have decided to try to help somebody ourselves. This year we managed to collect twice as much money as last year," Sirje Raagmets, the headmaster of the school explained the reason for organising the charity fair.
SOS School Keila currently takes in 90 kids, most of them are from outside SOS Children's Village Keila.
Share: