Ruth Phiri

Name:  Ruth Phiri
Gender:  Girl
Reported birthdate:  October 26, 2014 (currently 8 years old)
Favorite food:  Beans, soya pieces, and nshima (a staple food in Zambia)
Favorite activity:  Moulding clay toys
Child is happy when...  She is watching cartoons with friends
Child wants to be an...  Entrepreneur (business person)
Home information:  Ruth is growing up in the rural town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Haven of Hope school reports: “Ruth stays with her maternal aunt and her husband. She is an only child. Her mother died when she was just a baby, and the family supports themselves from her uncle’s carpentry works. However, they struggle to meet all the basic necessities, and it has been difficult for them to provide for Ruth’s school necessities. Ruth helps wash dishes at home.”
School information:  Ruth started grade 1 in a local school, but her family has struggled to afford her school requirements. She needs support to continue her education. Through sponsorship, she will be able to join the grade 1 class at the Haven of Hope Luanshya Primary School in May 2023. There, she will learn and play, be taught about God, and receive meals, medical care, and clothing. In Zambia, primary school lasts for seven years and is followed by five years of secondary school.
Community information:  Haven of Hope's students in Luanshya live in a number of compounds (densely populated communities). Ruth’s family resides in D Compound. In the compounds, unemployment and poverty rates are high, and people primarily depend on menial jobs for survival—working, for example, as garden hands, maids, and small-scale farmers. Families tend to be large and live in small houses. The compounds have been greatly afflicted by HIV and AIDS, leaving many children without one or both of their biological parents. Orphaned children are often cared for by their grandparents, aunts, or uncles; other children live in child-headed homes. Living in poverty, most families struggle to meet their basic needs and afford school fees for their children.
Prayer requests:  Please pray that Ruth will be educated and learn more about God.

Ruth will start school in May 2023. Any financial contributions made toward her sponsorship before then will help her school open a new grade 1 class and ensure that she has everything she needs for school.