Our bodies are given to us by God, and we should take care of them.
Do you eat vegetables? Do your parents tell you to brush your teeth every day? Those are simple ways we keep our bodies healthy!
But for some kids around the world, it’s a lot harder to stay healthy. They might not have enough money for a toothbrush. Sometimes they can’t get the food they need or they don’t have clean water to drink. But it’s still important for them to be healthy so they can learn and grow. Sometimes they just need extra help. A healthy body helps them have a happy heart every day!
Let’s see how kids just like you take care of their bodies!
Baby Felicite is getting weighed. The woman behind her is checking to see if she is growing strong. When Felicite was born, her mom wasn’t able to feed her milk. This was not good for Felicite. She lost weight and became malnourished. This means she did not have enough food to grow, and she got weak and sick.
Felicite needed good milk right away so she could become strong again. A Compassion center near their home in Burkina Faso helped her mom start feeding Felicite out of a bottle. Soon, Felicite was gaining weight like she should be. She is now at a healthy weight for her age. This is good news for Felicite!
Munge, 9, is walking home with water for her family. In her town in Tanzania, Munge doesn’t have a faucet at her house. She uses a bucket to get water from a deep hole in the ground called a well. This well used to be the only place Munge’s family could get clean water. She would have to walk 15 minutes home with a bucket of water on her head.
But sometimes it would stop raining and there wouldn’t be enough water. Munge had to drink dirty water, which made her sick a lot. Munge’s Compassion center decided to dig its own well so there would always be clean water. Now Munge doesn’t get sick anymore, and she doesn’t have to walk so far to get water. She can just walk over to her Compassion center!
Rakshan, 5, is holding up his toothbrush and toothpaste. He uses them to take care of his great smile! In Rakshan’s village in Sri Lanka, many kids don’t brush their teeth. No one has told them how important it is to keep their teeth healthy. At his Compassion center, Rakshan learned how to brush his teeth in the morning and at night. His tutor at the center would help him practice the best way to brush his teeth so they got clean. He also received a new toothbrush and toothpaste. Now Rakshan knows how to take care of his teeth. And he can keep them clean every day!
Santiago, 10, is having a yummy lunch in his house. Today he’s having chicken, rice and potatoes. He enjoys eating in his hammock!
Santiago lives in Colombia with his parents and five siblings. For a while, his mom and dad couldn’t buy enough food for meals every day. So Santiago would go to bed without any lunch or even dinner. He often felt hungry and weak. One night, Santiago prayed that God would send food for his family. The next day, a pastor from a church in his neighborhood brought a bag full of delicious food. Now Santiago looks forward to eating meals every day! His body is getting strong and healthy. And he knows that his church will make sure there is lunch tomorrow.
Magaly, 8, is playing catch with her sister. She’s always liked playing fun outside games with siblings and friends in Honduras. But one day, Magaly started to have trouble walking. Her legs were weak, and she could only walk if she was holding on to something. Her family was scared because they didn’t know what was wrong. Her family couldn’t afford to get a doctor.
Magaly went for a checkup at her Compassion center, and the staff noticed something was wrong. They were quickly able to get Magaly into a hospital where doctors could help her. The center paid for surgery to fix Magaly’s legs. She had to use a wheelchair for a few months, but now Magaly is back outside and able to play with her sister again!
Keshia, 11, is showing off her gymnastics workout clothes. She comes to this gym near her village in Indonesia a few times a week to practice. Keshia started gymnastics three years ago, and she did really well for her age. Her dream was to keep on training and become a gymnast with a strong body.
At first, that didn’t look like it could happen. Keshia’s parents didn’t have enough money to keep paying for her equipment and practice time. That’s when Keshia’s Compassion center said that they would pay the costs. Now, Keshia is training harder than ever, and this time her dream is to win a gymnastics competition. A lot of other kids will be competing, but Keshia is going to try her best to win. Her body is healthier than ever, so she has a good chance!
Anne, 8, and Jonas, 10, are washing their hands in clean water. They don’t have a sink in their house, so they use a jug of water and a bar of soap outside!
In Jonas and Anne’s village in Haiti, most houses don’t have sinks. And it was not easy for them to find clean water. That made it hard for them to wash their hands. But washing our hands protects us from germs that can make us sick, so Jonas and Anne’s Compassion center paid for a building where water could be cleaned. Now, they have enough water to wash their hands every day. They don’t have to worry about finding water to clean them!
