Thallah’s story is “one of pain, hope, and overwhelming gratitude.” 

In 2003, when he was almost too young to remember, he lost his mother. All he felt was emptiness and confusion. His mother was the one person who he felt safe with, and then, with no family who could take care of him, his future was uncertain.  

Thallah was taken in by Children of the Nations–Sierra Leone shortly after his mother's death. He says he didn’t know what to expect at first, but eventually, Children of the Nations became his true home. He was given a warm bed, food, education, and most importantly, love.  

Thallah says, “I found myself surrounded by people who saw value in me even when I didn’t see it in myself.” Children of the Nations gave him a place where he could begin to feel complete again.  

At Children of the Nations–Sierra Leone, Thallah didn’t only learn to read and write. He also learned integrity, faith, and perseverance. He says putting on his uniform for school every day reminded him of the sponsors and donors who gave him the opportunity to thrive. To Thallah, their gift to him was not just financial, it was spiritual—it was “hope sent across oceans.” 

Thanks to your generosity, Thallah was able to study hard and was accepted into university. He graduated this year with First Class Honors—the highest grade honors an undergraduate can get in Sierra Leone—and a degree in banking and finance that he intends to use as a volunteer in the Children of the Nations–Sierra Leone Finance Department. By doing this work, he is able to give back to the community that invested so much into his life as a child. 

Partners, you didn’t just invest in a child. You invested in a future and a life. Your contribution doesn’t just give children food and clothes; it gives them dignity and purpose and hope for a future.  

“Your support transformed an orphan into a graduate . . . I am living proof that love, when given freely and selflessly, can change the world.” 

 

By Eve Engstrom, Marketing Writer Intern at Children of the Nations