The Impact of Change Partners

We have named all of our monthly donors 'Change Partners'. The reason is simple. You are the reason we get to see change in the lives of children and families in need.

This month's story features a woman named Aster and her family. Aster is a mother of two, lives on Entoto Mountain, and uses a crutch to get around because of a car accident when she was young.

Aster's family has a sponsor who has been faithfully supporting them for the past few years. She often expresses gratitude for her sponsor, as they have provided her not only with food support but also with crutches and medical treatment.

Unfortunately, for the past few months, Aster has been continuously ill. Our staff advised her to take an HIV test and to her surprise, the results came back positive, not only for Aster but also for her 2-year old son.

When Aster found out she and her son were HIV positive, her husband, whom she already quarreled with often, left her and her two children and stole many of their possessions.

Our staff shared that after visiting Aster, it seemed she was on the verge of losing her hope to live. Not only was she now aware of the fragile health of her and her son, but she was also parenting alone and felt her family would be rejected by neighbors because of their diagnosis.

Though she received a monthly food supply through sponsorship, they now had new needs, such as milk and protein, to sustain the HIV/AIDS medicine that they take daily. Aster saw no avenue to provide for the growing needs of her family, as she had no form of income and was incredibly weak.

Thankfully, because of the Change Partner Fund, Ordinary Hero was able to meet ALL of Aster's needs. She and her family have now moved to a new house and they are receiving a liter of milk each day for their medicine to work effectively.

Our staff follows up and provides ongoing encouragement, and all of the support has given Aster hope and confidence for a positive future again - not only for herself, but for her children as well.

In their greatest time of need, we were able to stand with Aster and her family with help and hope.

This story is only possible because of the support of our Change Partners! Thank you for partnering with us.