It was Tuesday in India. The warmth had settled into my skin and I was finally remembering the long, intricate names of each boy and girl I had met. Bells sang softly into the thick, heated air and little girls in sweeping, colorful dresses spun wildly on the marbled floors as I was helping Ravi… Read more
“Que onda!,” Juan greets his friends. Juan doesn’t welcome with a handshake, but a tight embrace. He is funny, a bit of a jokester, but most of all, he is a joy to be around. He loves his friends fiercely. This is far from the boy who arrived at Rancho de los Niños ten years… Read more
Teresa’s father died when she was young. Teresa and her four siblings grew up in the shadow of her father’s first wife, who her mother continued to care for even after his death, as is customary in Nigeria. This was strike one in a culture that marginalizes widows and their children. As a female in… Read more
One afternoon, Back2Back staff member, Leah, received a call from a teacher at Igmin Kibe Education Center. It was about Emmanuel, a boy from a local village who attended after-school programming at the center. Emmanuel was sick and needed immediate medical attention. When Leah arrived at the center, his head was warm with a fever and… Read more
Rodo comes home from work. Before he can even change out of his work clothes, he lifts his son Malakai and tosses him playfully in the air. Malakai bursts into a giggling fit. Rodo and Malakai, hand in hand, run out the door into the hot Mazatlan sun to wrestle and play as boys and… Read more
Nallie peered out the window, watching the white tap-tap rattle and bounce down the bumpy gravel driveway. A cloud of dust trailed behind the taxi. It pulled onto the property and slowed to a stop in front of the children’s home. Cheryl took a deep breath and climbed out of the truck. Her two daughters,… Read more
Alondra handed Raquel a note. She blushed and ran back into the living room. Raquel, the house mom at Possibilities Children’s Home, was pleasantly surprised as she carefully unfolded the yellow paper and smoothed out the creases. “I’m so thankful for you,” the note said, “you feel like my mom.” Raquel brushed tears from her… Read more
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Goutham’s deep, brown eyes lit up; there is something within them, confident and hopeful, that shines out and captures whomever he is speaking to. “A pilot,” he smiles, crinkling his nose up innocently. That crinkled nose, coupled with his frame worthy smile, will stop you… Read more
Fedner sat in his third grade class, but his head was instantly in the air. As the pilot spoke to his class Fedner leaned forward, eyes wide with wonder.
Stanley carefully smooths his Spiderman blanket over his bed. Earlier that week, Stanley celebrated his 5th birthday with a frosted cake and a special gift. Surrounded by friends and caregivers, he eagerly pulled white tissue paper from a gift bag to find a plush Spiderman blanket. His brown eyes grew wide, as he gingerly… Read more