I wanted to share a brief story with you from an email exchange I had with Glen (President of Art For Humanity) this week. Last weekend they conducted interviews for the first cohort of students beginning classes in a few weeks. Unfortunately, AFH does not have the space, money, or resources to accept every qualified student, so we have to turn some people away. This particular story nearly brought tears to my eyes - it's funny how something can hit so close to home when you are invested in something.
One of the young women who interviewed had traveled hours to get to the interview. From my understanding, she had spent all her money on travel, so she hadn't eaten anything in days. After a home-cooked meal and an interview, she received the disheartening news - she was not selected as one of the students to begin classes at Leadership University. Glen encouraged her to apply again in June, when the next group of students will begin. But then Glen learned her story. She was living with extended family and due to some unforeseen circumstances, she would no longer be able to live with them. She had no job. She had no money. She had no food. She had no idea where she would go. Glen was faced with the brutal reality of working in a 3rd world country. I can imagine the questions and thoughts running through his mind. "I can't just let her go - who knows what will happen with her. We already don't have commitments to support the students we accepted, how can we support another one? What will happen to her if I let her leave? I don't even have a place for her to sleep. What will happen to her if I let her leave? Will she live on the streets? Will she be one of the masses of women who are raped or abused in a society that is extremely male-dominated? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HER IF I LET HER LEAVE?"
So Glen did what I hope I would do - invite her to stay. Here is a summary of their exchange:
Glen: "You are welcome to stay and enroll in classes, but we don't have a place for you to sleep."
Young Woman: "That's OK, I'm used to sleeping on the floor. I don't need a bed."
Glen (sarcastically): "You know, there is a nice forest that you could sleep in."
Young Woman: "OK, anything I need to do to be able to stay and get my education."
Here I sit, reading this via email, sipping my hot coffee and lounging back in my couch. I didn't pay a penny for my elementary, junior high, or high school education. I had scholarships and help from family for college, so after my contribution I graduated with very little student loans. I never had to sleep on a cement floor or in a forest. I never had to go days without food. And I never had to wonder where I would be living the next day.
I was absolutely floored by this story. So much that Hailey and I decided to use our tax return this year to sponsor one of the students that I will be teaching. I don't say that to boast about our generosity, but as a means of letting you know that we need more sponsors. There are currently 9 students beginning classes soon, and only a few of them have sponsors. Check out Art For Humanity's website (http://www.artforhumanity.org/news/misc-info/investment-opportunities/sponsor-a-student/) for details on sponsoring students. Many of them have similar stories to this young woman. Please consider sponsorship as an individual, family, or by getting together a group of friends so that you can share the expense of investing in a woman's life in a way that will forever change her future.
Would you invite her to stay, or would you send her on her way?
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