Thanks to the support of her sponsor, Lamia was able to celebrate her birthday and has been given a reason to look forward to the years to come.

June 2009

By Jonathan Gomes, World Vision Bangladesh, and Jessie Lester, World Vision U.S.

At 7 years old, Lamia Akter was recently given the opportunity to celebrate her birthday for the first time. Though the party did not take place on her actual birthday, that didn’t matter to Lamia; it was still one of the most special days this young girl has experienced.

“She was so excited on the day of celebration that she thought her birthday was on that day itself,” says Parveen Begum, Lamia’s mother.

Unable to celebrate

In Bangladesh, where Lamia and her family live, birthday parties are rare. Some children don’t know when their birthdays are, and many who do cannot afford to celebrate. For Lamia’s family, a party was out of the question. “We could not celebrate her birthday before,” says Parveen.

Parveen’s husband works as a welder, earning a meager monthly income of $65 U.S. For the past six years, the family has lived in a small one-bedroom apartment, where they share four toilets and two kitchens with 25 other families. Rent is $24 U.S. a month, and with continually increasing food prices, it’s a struggle for them just to make ends meet.

No money for school

Before World Vision became active in her community, Lamia missed out on more than just birthday parties. With barely enough money for necessities such as food and health care, her parents could not afford the school supplies necessary to send both Lamia and her older brother, Golam Robbani, to school. In a country where more than a third of children between the ages of 6 and 10 are not enrolled in primary school, it seemed unlikely that this young girl would ever receive an education.

But things began to change in May 2006, when Lamia became a sponsored child. Thanks to the generous support of her sponsor, World Vision is helping with Lamia’s educational expenses and supplying her with books, notebooks, pencils, and erasers.

“The educational support to my daughter from World Vision has reduced a portion of my financial load for schooling. And that is enabling me to school both my kids,” says Lamia’s father.

Educational opportunities

This year, Lamia is in first grade and is working hard to take full advantage of her education. “She is a bright student,” says her mother, proud to share that last year, Lamia was awarded the prize for having the best grades in her class.

World Vision is working to improve the educational opportunities for all the children in Lamia’s community. This includes implementing a school improvement program and providing basic necessities, including a water filter, fan, bench, and file cabinet for the classrooms.

In addition to educational assistance, World Vision makes sure that Lamia gets annual health checkups, and her family has received simple household items, including buckets, soap, an umbrella, and mosquito nets.

Sponsorship is giving Lamia the confidence to dream big for the future. “I will be a doctor, and I will look after my parents. I will build a house for them,” she says.

Enjoying childhood

In addition to her normal classes, Lamia takes dance and singing lessons provided by World Vision. Lamia loves to sing, and these classes give her a chance to enjoy herself and forget the struggles her family faces at home.

Thanks to the support of their sponsors and World Vision, children have the opportunity to simply enjoy childhood, just as Lamia did at the birthday party. “On the day of birthday celebration, I presented flowers to the guests [and] we cut the birthday cake and sang a birthday song. I got a bowl and mug as birthday gift,” says Lamia.

For children like Lamia, who have never had the opportunity to celebrate, these simple birthday parties are a big deal. The party that Lamia attended benefited nearly 4,000 children in her region, and this past year, World Vision threw birthday parties in nine other Bangladeshi communities, bringing joy to more than 39,000 children.