Author: Blogger Promise

Of all people in the world, children are perhaps the most buoyant of us all. Even as they are shown the dark side of the world, they continue to retain their innocent and hopeful outlook on life. Six-year-old Vennela demonstrates this hope perfectly. 

Pockets of Promise first discovered Vennela in their after-school program, where she was immediately pegged as a clever young child with a lot of potential. At the time, Vennela was living with her mother, who was older in years and unable to provide for her daughter. Vennela’s father had passed away a year before, and her older siblings were all married, mostly focused on supporting their own families, leaving Vennela and her mother to fend for themselves. Vennela’s mother collected waste plastic from junkyards for a living. Vennela would help her out, desperately begging on the streets for money that could feed them.

As soon as Pockets of Promise got to know about Vennela’s situation, they immediately stepped in to help. They began to support Vennela and her mother with food and other amenities, making sure that they were taken care of. They even built a small house for their family. Most exciting of all, they began to provide educational support for Vennela, helping the young girl become the best version of herself.

In school, Vennela is flourishing, gaining confidence, and showing off her talents. She is the apple of her teacher’s eye- her hand is always the first one up to answer a question- and is very dedicated to her studies, with As in all her subjects. She has been described as engaging to teach. She always brings joy to everyone around her. 

Vennela, though little, has big dreams: when she grows up, Vennela wants to be an engineer, helping benefit both herself and people like her in creative new ways. 

Despite the difficulties that she has faced in her life, Vennela retained her childlike wonder at the world and positivity. As she grows, we are all excited to see the places Vennela will go and make Pockets of Promise Proud!.

When 13-year-old Celestina Ackon was discovered by Pockets of Promise, she was doing extremely poorly in school, and nobody could understand why. Despite being a bright young girl who loved to learn, she constantly struggled to keep up with her peers in all of her subjects. On top of her struggles at school, her current living conditions only added to the problems she already had. Her parents earned their living by smoking and selling fish, and thus were not financially capable of assisting Celestina in her school work or getting her extra help outside of school. In spite of her many difficulties, Celestina was very passionate about her studies and loved going to school to soak up all the knowledge that she could. 

Pockets of Promise came to know of Celestina through their after-school program. They immediately put in the effort to find the root of Celestina’s problems with school. They quickly discovered that Celestina struggled to read and write well, which affected the rest of her subjects at school, as they all contained some element of reading and writing. 

When Celestina first started at the program, she was not able to identify some of the letters of the alphabet. Additionally, she was poor at phonics and was not able to discern the sounds that most of the letters made. To help her improve, Pockets of Promise put her in the Hooked-on-Phonics program, which taught her the alphabet and the correct sounds of each of the letters. This greatly helped Celestine master her reading skills.

On top of that, Pockets of Promise also aided in improving Celestine’s living conditions to give her a better environment at home to study. Celestina and her 10-year-old sibling now live with their grandmother, which offers her a quiet and secure place where she can better prepare for school. 

Celestina had been steadily improving in her studies since Pockets of Promise began to assist her. Now, she can fluently read books up to level three (3rd-grade level). Additionally, she has improved greatly in school, and can finally showcase her passion for the subjects she is studying. Celestina is very grateful for all the aid and wants to pay it forward- she wants to become a doctor in the future so that she can help other people the way that she was helped.

Coming from a teen mother in Assakae, a suburb of Takoradi in Western Ghana. The future for seven-month-old Evans Bossman, or Baby Kofi, did not look bright. His seventeen-year-old mother was young and unemployed, and she and her family did not have the time or the money to properly provide for their small child. Baby Kofi was neglected and severely malnourished, both of which can cause irreversible damage to a child. Kofi’s condition was serious. He was sick more often than not, and he required immediate care. Unfortunately, no one had the capacity to provide the needed care for him. Kofi was poor, hungry, and alone, but most of all, he was an innocent baby who had to bear the unfortunate circumstances handed to him. 

Fortunately for Baby Kofi, help came in the form of a local woman who notified Pockets of Promise about his condition. Pockets of Promise took immediate action. Kofi was moved to a shelter where his needs could be provided for – he was fed, held, and carefully nursed back to health

Once Baby Kofi was stable, Pockets of Promise began to provide him with milk and toiletries every month, resulting in a massive improvement in his health. The severely underweight baby who weighed only 3 kilograms when he was found, weighed nearly 5 kilograms seven months later, double his initial weight. 

Thanks to the help of Pockets of Promise and donations from our generous donors, Baby Kofi was given a second chance at a healthy life. Now at 1 year and 2 months old, Baby Kofi’s teeth have come in, and he has just taken his first steps. His development is right on track with his age group, and he now has the strength to toddle through the halls of the shelter. In addition to food, shelter, and care, Pockets of Promise also provides him with monthly visitations to meet with his family so that they can see their growth, healthy boy. 

Pockets of Promise plans to enroll Baby Kofi in a good school when he gets older and provide him with the tools he needs to achieve whatever he sets his mind to. 

You can help a child like Baby Kofi today! You can make a huge impact on a child’s life by sponsoring a child. 

 Sponsor a Child

Imagine being a young boy with a big dream, one that you’ve had for a long time. Then imagine that after years of hard work and dedication, as a teenager, you are now smart and capable enough to achieve it. Except that, on this last leg of your journey, fate is not on your side. 

This was the reality for seventeen-year-old Santosh from India. Santosh had always believed in aiming high. He had big dreams of being a doctor – helping his community, making a good name for himself and his family, and being able to support his parents later in life. Ever since he was a child, Santosh has been dedicated to his studies, getting straight As in all of his subjects and ranking first in his class. 

However,  Santosh comes from a poor family. His parents have been very supportive of their children’s education and dreams. But their jobs as second-hand clothes sellers means that they’ve always struggled to make ends meet. They were able to get both of their sons through high school, but that in itself was a struggle. So when it was time for Santosh to go to college, they had no way to help. Getting their son into a medical college was like trying to land on the moon without a spacecraft. 

Despite his difficulties, Santosh studied day and night to get to the top of his class. He did not let his financial hurdles sway him away from his dreams. At the end of his school career, the only thing standing between him and his dreams was going to college. But since his parents did not have enough money to support Santosh’s college plans, and Santosh himself was not eligible to get an education loan, he had to put his dreams on hold.  

As they say, all’s well that ends well. Through a stroke of luck, Pockets of Promise came to know of Santosh’s plight through a volunteer, Sheeba. Through the help of generous donors, Santosh is now getting financial support to pursue his degree and is thrilled that his dreams are becoming a reality. The support that Pockets of Promise gives him also ensures that his family still has a good quality of life. 

There was a time when Santosh’s dreams would have seemed too idealistic to come to fruition. But his perseverance, determination, and help from unlikely places proved him right in the end. 

You’ve heard of superfoods like green tea, kale, and spirulina–but have you heard of moringa?

Moringa oleifera, commonly known as Moringa, is a tree found in the Himalayan mountains and parts of India and Africa. Also known as the Drumstick Tree and Ben Oil Tree, Moringa has been used in Ayurvedic medicine, one of the world’s oldest holistic healing practices, for thousands of years.

Drought-resistant and native to areas where malnutrition is prominent, the leaves, pods, and seeds of moringa trees are cultivated by local inhabitants for a variety of uses. In Ghana, village women pound the seeds and boil them to create oil that is often used for cosmetics. Moringa leaves are ground with shea butter to make soaps and ointments. As moringa is anti-fungal and anti-viral, it is excellent for hand washing.

In areas with a lack of sufficient medical care, natives use moringa to alleviate headaches, help digestions, and boost immune systems.

Nature’s Natural Defense

Moringa is full of phytonutrients: anti-inflammatory chemicals and antioxidants that play a role in natural disease prevention and treatment, provide immune support, and may contain memory enhancing properties. According to this study, the leaves have a more concentrated amount of these nutrients than most foods–7 times more vitamin C than oranges and 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, for instance. High levels of calcium, iron, and protein aid muscle growth, and the plant has also been shown to help with digestion issues.

With that much immune boosting, this plant packs a powerful punch against harmful bacteria and viruses.

Researchers are currently investigating whether moringa can supplement traditional medical care for high-risk conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and cancer. Additional studies have shown antidepressant potential when moringa is used along with traditional prescriptions. While moringa alone is no cure-all, this botanical marvel boasts a wealth of benefits in conjunction with medicine.

Ways to add moringa to your diet

There are tons of ways to sneak moringa into your diet. Cooking the leaves can add some nutrients to your soups and stews. When blended or ground in a food processor, the leaves can also be mixed in dips like guacamole. The easiest method is moringa powder. Available online and at various supermarkets, it’s as simple as adding a scoop to your drinks like teas and smoothies or baking it into pancakes or banana bread.

Support Ghanaian agriculture

Buying locally sourced moringa from Ghana not only ensures a quality product, but also helps support the natives whom Pockets of Promise (POP) gives aid to.

Pockets of Promise is dedicated to providing nutritious food to underprivileged children in our Feeding Program. Learn more about how Pockets of Promise aids India, Ghana, and Uganda, and click the button below to donate.

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Disclaimer: The heath topics discussed on this website are intended for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on this site.

Keywords: moringa, miracle tree, superfood, phytonutrients

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Giving, or practicing gratitude, is one of those life lessons we are all taught from an early age. We are taught by both religion and mental health experts to count our blessings or to list the things we are grateful for. To help us jot down the things we are thankful for, it helps to keep a gratitude journal. Gratitude journaling is one of my favorite modern-day concepts, it is a lot more relaxing than watching the news and, at times, a lot duller but more helpful than sports. 

When we write down our thoughts on gratitude, it helps us to see all that we take for granted; things like time, space, and above all our ability to learn. Since you are reading this, we share that power to learn. We can educate ourselves. It is a fundamental but powerful tool that impacts each day. Learning is the root for growth in our lives.

However, this fundamental human right is not shared equally. In fact, the world is in a major learning crisis. Around 91% of children in this world had their education affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, 1.6 billion children and youth were out of school and nearly 369 million children who relied on school for their meals were left without their nutritional needs being met.

Education has been a major issue for generations, both in the percentage of enrollment and the quality of education children receive.

It is a change that requires a collective effort that is continuous and evolving. At Pockets of Promise, there is a dedicated team focused on bettering education opportunities for children in Ghana, India, and Uganda. They focus both on the educational material and empowerment of children for better self-worth. 

In today’s world, it seems incomplete to speak of education without mentioning technology. Technology offers new possibilities for teaching, learning, working, and innovating, yet, several children in the world of poverty do not have access to this powerful tool. To help bridge the gap, Pockets of Promise offers Mobile Computer Labs that make technology accessible to several kids. 

Another important component of education is after-school programs which also provide meals to kids and are needed now more than ever. Pockets of Promise is currently active in parts of the world with marginalized communities and children living in poverty. As Martin Luther King Jr said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” These kids are growing up in a world that is unjust. Giving them proper education to equip them with the ability to make a difference for the better is the least we can do. 

Visit our website to learn about our programs and join our effort to make a difference. It is through the support of our awesome donors that we can share smiles on the faces of girls like Sindhu, an orphan from India. To borrow words from MLK again “The time is always right to do what is right.” 

(Sindhu an orphan from India)

Let us be grateful for what we can do!

“Childhood, after all, is the first precious coin that poverty steals from a child.”

-Anthony Horowitz

When Pockets of Promise (PoP) first discovered Albert and his family, they had nearly lost all hope of their situation. Albert’s mother and children walked hours to cut down wood to sell.  She barely made enough money to support Albert and three of his siblings. Life was so difficult for them that she had been forced to give up 2 of her children for adoption. They never had enough to eat. Albert’s mother would constantly worry about what she would feed her malnourished children. Their living conditions were no better. Their one-room shack was made of poor quality mud and could barely house the five of them, offering little protection from the uncompromising elements. They had no amenities like electricity or water supply. Albert and his siblings couldn’t even go to school to get an education – in fact, he had never been to school in his life.  

In the midst of dark times, Albert’s story started to transform when a kind soul in their community reached out to PoP to help his family. 

PoP’s first priority was to provide the family with food supplies so that the growing children had enough to eat. This already made a huge impact on their lives as Albert’s mother would no longer be constantly anxious about their food. PoP also provided Albert’s mother with seed money to start a trading business, helping her earn more money to support her family. 

Soon, the donations and child sponsorships allowed Albert and his family to find a new home, instead of living in the one-bedroom shack. With PoP’s support, they are currently renting a spacious and safe house to live in comfort. In January 2021, Albert and his siblings started school for the first time. Prior to that, they participated in PoP’s after-school literacy program to prepare them for school. The first time Albert was able to recite all of his ABC, he shot up out of his chair grinning broadly, and started clapping for himself.  He was so excited and said to the teacher that he never imagined that he too would be speaking English. Albert is finally receiving the education he never even dreamed of receiving. He is immensely excited about this opportunity and aims to be a dedicated student. He already has big plans for the future; he wants to be a teacher so he can help others in his situation receive an education. 

Albert and his family are extremely grateful for all that Pockets of Promise has done for them so far. He continues to excel in the after-school program and is working hard to catch up with his peers.

Because of PoP’s intervention, Albert and his family gained a ray of hope in their lives. PoP’s focus on bringing the generosity of the international community to the doorsteps of the underprivileged is helping many families like Albert’s look forward to better lives.