Attending school is extremely important for children in vulnerable communities. But even when classes fill many hours, the interminable time after school can present challenges for young people.

Those after-school hours were becoming difficult for Asep, a 13-year-old boy in Indonesia. There were no extracurricular activities for channeling his interests. So he played with his friends. And he spent hours of time alone.

As he got older, Asep became more bored and restless. Some of his friends were starting to participate in risky behavior. They would skip school, steal things, smoke, and drink.

Their influence was becoming hard for him to resist.

Kid’s Club Opens Opportunities

At about this time, Food for the Hungry (FH) came to Asep’s community. FH brought education and training for the community in nutrition, sanitation, livelihoods, and more. And FH Child Sponsorship made it possible to establish an after-school Kid’s Club.

As a result, Asep and his friends learned exciting new ways to spend time after school. And the new activities even helped Asep unlock his artistic side.

A New Creative Outlet

Asep’s mom, Rosina, is a teacher at the school FH partners with in his community. Rosina and her colleagues accessed teacher training with FH’s support,which helped her be a better teacher but also made her a more attentive mother. If Asep took too long coming home after school, she went to look for him.

She was thrilled when Asep became an FH sponsored child and began participating in FH programs both in classes and after school.

Asep became more interested in his classes. He also learned many of his favorite new hobbies through FH Kids’ Clubs, including creative writing and drawing.

A Brighter Future

With support from FH and his loving family, Asep’s transition from elementary school to junior high has been seamless. He’s grateful for his mother’s attentiveness and his opportunities to learn new skills.

By sponsoring a child, you make it possible for sponsored children like Asep to grow up in communities where the cycle of poverty is broken.

Asep says his greatest hope is to make his parents proud. As for the future, he says his current career aspiration is to become a policeman.

Continue Reading: 

Child Sponsorship Delievers a Hopeful Future
FH Sponsorship Opens Doors to Education
Love Shines Through in Letters from Children