Now It's Nina's Turn

Our 42 children and 9 mothers who make up our Sunshine families come from varying backgrounds and situations. But the one thing they all have in common was that they were living a life of lack. At times, I sit back and just soak them in as I watch them study, play, dance, and sing. They are carefree, happy, secure, and flourishing. I don’t even dare to let my thoughts stray to imagining where they would be right now if it was not for our foundation that has been blessed with the privilege of caring for them and raising them. 

The goal of the Sunshine Approach Foundation is the same as the one you have for your own children…to see them grow up, become educated, and one day step confidently into independent, successful adulthood. 

We know we won’t see 100% success. Each child must choose to embrace the opportunities placed before them. Each must work hard to build a future in a developing nation that often offers little margin for error. 

But when they do succeed, it is something beautiful to witness. 

Our Cecilia is well on her way. Having completed her university law courses, currently working at a paid internship, and today handing in her thesis (the final requirement for her graduation and certificate), she is about to spread her wings and take off. We are very grateful to Foresight Business Solutions https://foresightcpa.com/ for their financial support of her university studies. 

Virginia has just begun her junior year studying Human Resources Management. Her journey is well underway, thanks to The Gifted Leaders Scholarship Program https://www.giftedscholars.org/ who have faithfully supported her tuition. 

And now…it is Nina’s turn. 

Nina joined our Sunshine family in July 2019, just before her 12th birthday. She is the daughter of Ilda, the house mother at Sunshine House 3. 

Like many widowed and abandoned women in Mozambique, Ilda faced an impossible choice. In order to work and support her family, she had to leave Nina in the care of her grandmother in Inhambane, a six-hour drive from Matola. When Ilda became a Sunshine house mother, it felt only right to reunite mother and daughter. It was our joy to bring them back together. 

Over the years, we’ve watched Nina grow from a gangly young girl into a poised and beautiful young woman. She is calm and steady, bright and studious, sometimes coy, occasionally sassy, and always dependable. Nina is the kind of girl you can count on. 

This December, she graduated from Escola Maria Ana Mogas. Her mother and two of our staff members, Delcio and Celia, joined me at the ceremony. I hardly recognized her as she walked across the stage. It was her Cinderella moment, and we could not have been more proud to see her receive her diploma. She worked hard for it and was very deserving of it. To graduate high school in Mozambique is an accomplishment achieved by only 1% of the student population. 

But Nina did it! 

Now Nina will embark on achieving the dream of her lifetime… to serve others as a nurse. 

Most children change their occupational dream again and again over the course of their growing years. They go from wanting to be a police office to an astronaut to a pizza maker. But not Nina. She has always had one goal…to be a nurse. She has never wavered but has held on tightly to her dream. 

Next week she will begin her studies at Universidade Politécnica. We are excited for her to enter this new season of life. Yet as with all parents of university students, you can relate to our apprehension in how we will cover the cost. We are beyond grateful to Nina’s long-time sponsors who have covered her high school expenses, even going so far as to pay for the beautiful gown she wore on her graduation day. Over the years, this amazing couple have prayed for Nina and encouraged her by purchasing medical books and a stethoscope for her! They now have agreed to go further with her support over the next four years. But this will only cover half of her university expenses. Therefore, we are looking for someone to come alongside Nina and make her dream come true. 

The encouraging news is that a university education in Mozambique does not carry the overwhelming cost of an American university. To fully fund Nina’s tuition, we need just $80 per month for the next four years. 

That’s it. 

The question is not whether she has the determination. She does. 

The question is whether we will ensure finances are not the barrier. 

Nina has done everything within her power to reach this moment. She studied. She persevered. She believed. Now she needs someone to believe in her. 

For $80 a month, you can help carry her the rest of the way. One day, the patients she serves may never know your name, but they will feel the ripple effect of your generosity. 

Four years from now, Nina will walk across another stage, this time as a qualified nurse. Would you consider standing beside Nina as she steps into her calling?