Tin Tin Htwe lives in one of the largest slums in Myanmar, quite close to our Lotus Clinic. Her father died when she was only 5 and then she and her mother found out they were HIV+. They were grieving, had no source of income to support themselves with an untreated life-threatening disease. It was incredibly difficult for them.
They could not afford to go to hospital, but they learnt about SANNI’s Lotus clinic where they could receive free treatment. When they arrived, our child social workers started speaking with them and we enrolled Tin Tin Htwe on our sponsorship program.
For 4 years Tin Tin Htwe received her sponsorship helping her go to school, stay healthy and never grow hungry. She flourished in school, her health improved and her mother re-married.
Now, Tin Tin Htwe is 18, and last month we decided to stop her sponsorship. She has finished high school and we helped enrol her into a vocational course where she is learning about garment making and tailoring. Her mother also has a stable job and the family are now able to support themselves without our help.
Tin Tin Htwe is a powerful reminder to all of us of what can be achieved when we invest in children’s’ future and give them the power to lift themselves out of poverty. Tin Tin Htwe has an exciting future in front of her and we can’t wait to find out what she will achieve.
