Meet kids across the world who are looking forward to brighter futures with the help of the animals in their care! Though some of these kids may be young, they’re doing big, important work to take care of their furry (and not so furry) friends.
Forget stuffed animals! Angela, who is 3 years old, gets to hug the real thing. She has a cuddly baby llama as a pet at home in the mountains of Bolivia!
"My llama likes to eat barley and drink water. I like to play with him. His name is Rufo; I named him that. My mom and I graze him along with my cow. He doesn't run away. I like to hug him," says Angela.
Many people in Bolivia's mountains raise llamas and use their wool to make clothes. Angela loves to play with her Rufo. Even though he is more than double her size, Rufo is gentle with Angela.
Did you know that llamas are good mountain climbers? In South America, there's a big mountain range called the Andes where people use llamas as pack animals. They help families carry loads for long distances across rocky ground.
Jose’s unusual playmates have curly tails and love to oink! They’re the pigs his family in El Salvador raises and sells to buy the things they need. Pigs are great playmates, but they’re more than that too! Jose says, “Pigs are a source of income. Sometimes we earn money with the pigs.”
Yet in this farming community, Jose has a different dream: to become a lawyer.
“That is my dream since I was little. My dad used to be a lawyer, so he inspired me. I think a good lawyer is a person that is honest and can help other people,” he says. “Compassion is teaching me how to be a good person, how to have moral values and good behavior.”
But in the meantime, Jose is relying on his family's pigs. The food and income from the pigs will help provide for his family and make it possible for him to one day reach his dream!
All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. — Psalm 104:27, NIV
Instead of a puppy or a kitten, Meisy’s favorite pets live underwater. The 9-year-old in Indonesia is a proud catfish farmer! “Every day in the morning and afternoon, I sit by the pond to feed the fishes and talk to them,” she says.
In May 2020, her family joined a group for fish farming at their Compassion center so they would have enough food during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family built their own backyard pond and learned how to care for the fish. And they could eat their first fish three months later! Now they make money by raising fish to sell.
The farming keeps Meisy busy and entertained. “My sister and I love to catch the fish with a fishing net,” says Meisy. “I like to watch the fishes growing up from small to big.”
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate — bringing forth food from the earth. — Psalm 104:14, NIV
Weeview is 5 years old and spends most days playing with his best friend, Mae-Preaw. But his best friend isn't another kid … she's a water buffalo! To me and you, she may seem like a big and scary playmate, but Weeview knows she's gentle.
In the village where Weeview lives in Thailand, most families are farmers growing crops like corn. And lots of kids are in charge of caring for their families’ animals.
Weeview has learned to care for his family’s buffalos since he was very young and has a special connection with Mae-Preaw, his favorite one. “She has tender loving care towards me. I always play in the water with her when she is taking a bath,” he says.
In Thailand, families keep water buffalos because they're big, strong animals that help plow fields and also produce milk. Fun fact: They're also excellent swimmers and can hold their breath for FIVE MINUTES! Can you hold your breath that long?
For kids in the Ecuadorian mountains, guinea pigs aren’t just pets. With their tiny squeaks and twitchy noses, they help families to earn money and have fun!
Compassion Center Director Oswaldo says, “Guinea pigs are the most traditional animals of the Ecuadorian highlands. This animal can have babies very quickly, and they only need healthy food and green grass to survive.”
The Compassion center gave several families guinea pigs so they could start raising and selling them to earn money. Each grown guinea pig can be sold for $8, which is a lot of money for families in poverty. Parents love the stable income, and kids love raising the cute little critters!
“I love to come and pet the animals here,” says 8-year-old Emily. “I like to feed them and see them grow.”
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. — Genesis 1:25, NIV
Herik, 16, lives in Guatemala, and he keeps some very tiny animals: bees! Herik's Compassion center offered him the opportunity to join a project that would help him learn business skills, earn money and boost the local environment all in one. And he jumped at the chance!
“I was so enthusiastic about beekeeping. I never expected in my life to work with bees, but I love the experience,” says Herik. “I am so thankful for my tutor because he explains how bees work, how they make the honey.”
And his tiny bees are going to support his big future: “I’m going to graduate high school next year, which means a lot to me," he says. "I want to study at university, maybe engineering or law. I want to be a professional and support my family as they supported me.”
Paulina, 10, in Tanzania loves to run free, chasing her family's goats! But for Paulina, the freedom to run and play with her animal friends was almost taken away when her father pulled her out of school to arrange a marriage for her.
Paulina's tribe is called the Maasai people. They wear bright, beautiful clothes and herd goats and cattle. But sadly, in this tribe, arranged marriages for young girls are common. And they keep many girls like Paulina from enjoying being kids, going to school and learning what they need to chase their dreams.
But thankfully for Paulina, Compassion’s church partner stepped in to stop the marriage. Now this 10-year-old is safely back in the classroom. “I want to be a Swahili language teacher,” she says. And in the meantime, she gets to keep playing with and caring for her family's furry friends.
The righteous care for the needs of their animals. — Proverbs 12:10, NIV
Among the Karen people in Thailand, elephants are family. And for Santong, 13, Lulu the elephant is his bold bestie.
Among Karen families like Santong’s, the traditional role of elephant keeper, or mahout, is passed down from father to son. So someday, Santong or one of his brothers will become responsible for Lulu, the family’s 7-year-old elephant.
Santong says, “I love riding the elephant in the fields and feeding her.”
Like most parents in the community, Pasawah, Santong's father, wants his sons to grow up to know and respect Karen customs. He also understands how important school is and wants his boys to grow up to chase their dreams and be able to care for their families when they're adults.
“I’m getting older, so it’s my wish that one of my sons will take care of the elephant,” says Pasawah. “But if Santong desires to pursue higher education, I definitely support him.”
In Karen culture, people deeply respect elephants. These big creatures are valued members of their families, and they also help families pull plows for farmwork or can be ridden to help families get around.
Forget stuffed animals! Angela, who is 3 years old, gets to hug the real thing. She has a cuddly baby llama as a pet at home in the mountains of Bolivia!
"My llama likes to eat barley and drink water. I like to play with him. His name is Rufo; I named him that. My mom and I graze him along with my cow. He doesn't run away. I like to hug him," says Angela.
Many people in Bolivia's mountains raise llamas and use their wool to make clothes. Angela loves to play with her Rufo. Even though he is more than double her size, Rufo is gentle with Angela.
Did you know that llamas are good mountain climbers? In South America, there's a big mountain range called the Andes where people use llamas as pack animals. They help families carry loads for long distances across rocky ground.
Jose’s unusual playmates have curly tails and love to oink! They’re the pigs his family in El Salvador raises and sells to buy the things they need. Pigs are great playmates, but they’re more than that too! Jose says, “Pigs are a source of income. Sometimes we earn money with the pigs.”
Yet in this farming community, Jose has a different dream: to become a lawyer.
“That is my dream since I was little. My dad used to be a lawyer, so he inspired me. I think a good lawyer is a person that is honest and can help other people,” he says. “Compassion is teaching me how to be a good person, how to have moral values and good behavior.”
But in the meantime, Jose is relying on his family's pigs. The food and income from the pigs will help provide for his family and make it possible for him to one day reach his dream!
All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. — Psalm 104:27, NIV
Instead of a puppy or a kitten, Meisy’s favorite pets live underwater. The 9-year-old in Indonesia is a proud catfish farmer! “Every day in the morning and afternoon, I sit by the pond to feed the fishes and talk to them,” she says.
In May 2020, her family joined a group for fish farming at their Compassion center so they would have enough food during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family built their own backyard pond and learned how to care for the fish. And they could eat their first fish three months later! Now they make money by raising fish to sell.
The farming keeps Meisy busy and entertained. “My sister and I love to catch the fish with a fishing net,” says Meisy. “I like to watch the fishes growing up from small to big.”
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate — bringing forth food from the earth. — Psalm 104:14, NIV
Weeview is 5 years old and spends most days playing with his best friend, Mae-Preaw. But his best friend isn't another kid … she's a water buffalo! To me and you, she may seem like a big and scary playmate, but Weeview knows she's gentle.
In the village where Weeview lives in Thailand, most families are farmers growing crops like corn. And lots of kids are in charge of caring for their families’ animals.
Weeview has learned to care for his family’s buffalos since he was very young and has a special connection with Mae-Preaw, his favorite one. “She has tender loving care towards me. I always play in the water with her when she is taking a bath,” he says.
In Thailand, families keep water buffalos because they're big, strong animals that help plow fields and also produce milk. Fun fact: They're also excellent swimmers and can hold their breath for FIVE MINUTES! Can you hold your breath that long?
For kids in the Ecuadorian mountains, guinea pigs aren’t just pets. With their tiny squeaks and twitchy noses, they help families to earn money and have fun!
Compassion Center Director Oswaldo says, “Guinea pigs are the most traditional animals of the Ecuadorian highlands. This animal can have babies very quickly, and they only need healthy food and green grass to survive.”
The Compassion center gave several families guinea pigs so they could start raising and selling them to earn money. Each grown guinea pig can be sold for $8, which is a lot of money for families in poverty. Parents love the stable income, and kids love raising the cute little critters!
“I love to come and pet the animals here,” says 8-year-old Emily. “I like to feed them and see them grow.”
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. — Genesis 1:25, NIV
Herik, 16, lives in Guatemala, and he keeps some very tiny animals: bees! Herik's Compassion center offered him the opportunity to join a project that would help him learn business skills, earn money and boost the local environment all in one. And he jumped at the chance!
“I was so enthusiastic about beekeeping. I never expected in my life to work with bees, but I love the experience,” says Herik. “I am so thankful for my tutor because he explains how bees work, how they make the honey.”
And his tiny bees are going to support his big future: “I’m going to graduate high school next year, which means a lot to me," he says. "I want to study at university, maybe engineering or law. I want to be a professional and support my family as they supported me.”
Paulina, 10, in Tanzania loves to run free, chasing her family's goats! But for Paulina, the freedom to run and play with her animal friends was almost taken away when her father pulled her out of school to arrange a marriage for her.
Paulina's tribe is called the Maasai people. They wear bright, beautiful clothes and herd goats and cattle. But sadly, in this tribe, arranged marriages for young girls are common. And they keep many girls like Paulina from enjoying being kids, going to school and learning what they need to chase their dreams.
But thankfully for Paulina, Compassion’s church partner stepped in to stop the marriage. Now this 10-year-old is safely back in the classroom. “I want to be a Swahili language teacher,” she says. And in the meantime, she gets to keep playing with and caring for her family's furry friends.
The righteous care for the needs of their animals. — Proverbs 12:10, NIV
Among the Karen people in Thailand, elephants are family. And for Santong, 13, Lulu the elephant is his bold bestie.
Among Karen families like Santong’s, the traditional role of elephant keeper, or mahout, is passed down from father to son. So someday, Santong or one of his brothers will become responsible for Lulu, the family’s 7-year-old elephant.
Santong says, “I love riding the elephant in the fields and feeding her.”
Like most parents in the community, Pasawah, Santong's father, wants his sons to grow up to know and respect Karen customs. He also understands how important school is and wants his boys to grow up to chase their dreams and be able to care for their families when they're adults.
“I’m getting older, so it’s my wish that one of my sons will take care of the elephant,” says Pasawah. “But if Santong desires to pursue higher education, I definitely support him.”
In Karen culture, people deeply respect elephants. These big creatures are valued members of their families, and they also help families pull plows for farmwork or can be ridden to help families get around.
Forget stuffed animals! Angela, who is 3 years old, gets to hug the real thing. She has a cuddly baby llama as a pet at home in the mountains of Bolivia!
"My llama likes to eat barley and drink water. I like to play with him. His name is Rufo; I named him that. My mom and I graze him along with my cow. He doesn't run away. I like to hug him," says Angela.
Many people in Bolivia's mountains raise llamas and use their wool to make clothes. Angela loves to play with her Rufo. Even though he is more than double her size, Rufo is gentle with Angela.
Did you know that llamas are good mountain climbers? In South America, there's a big mountain range called the Andes where people use llamas as pack animals. They help families carry loads for long distances across rocky ground.
Jose’s unusual playmates have curly tails and love to oink! They’re the pigs his family in El Salvador raises and sells to buy the things they need. Pigs are great playmates, but they’re more than that too! Jose says, “Pigs are a source of income. Sometimes we earn money with the pigs.”
Yet in this farming community, Jose has a different dream: to become a lawyer.
“That is my dream since I was little. My dad used to be a lawyer, so he inspired me. I think a good lawyer is a person that is honest and can help other people,” he says. “Compassion is teaching me how to be a good person, how to have moral values and good behavior.”
But in the meantime, Jose is relying on his family's pigs. The food and income from the pigs will help provide for his family and make it possible for him to one day reach his dream!
All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. — Psalm 104:27, NIV
Instead of a puppy or a kitten, Meisy’s favorite pets live underwater. The 9-year-old in Indonesia is a proud catfish farmer! “Every day in the morning and afternoon, I sit by the pond to feed the fishes and talk to them,” she says.
In May 2020, her family joined a group for fish farming at their Compassion center so they would have enough food during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family built their own backyard pond and learned how to care for the fish. And they could eat their first fish three months later! Now they make money by raising fish to sell.
The farming keeps Meisy busy and entertained. “My sister and I love to catch the fish with a fishing net,” says Meisy. “I like to watch the fishes growing up from small to big.”
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate — bringing forth food from the earth. — Psalm 104:14, NIV
Weeview is 5 years old and spends most days playing with his best friend, Mae-Preaw. But his best friend isn't another kid … she's a water buffalo! To me and you, she may seem like a big and scary playmate, but Weeview knows she's gentle.
In the village where Weeview lives in Thailand, most families are farmers growing crops like corn. And lots of kids are in charge of caring for their families’ animals.
Weeview has learned to care for his family’s buffalos since he was very young and has a special connection with Mae-Preaw, his favorite one. “She has tender loving care towards me. I always play in the water with her when she is taking a bath,” he says.
In Thailand, families keep water buffalos because they're big, strong animals that help plow fields and also produce milk. Fun fact: They're also excellent swimmers and can hold their breath for FIVE MINUTES! Can you hold your breath that long?
For kids in the Ecuadorian mountains, guinea pigs aren’t just pets. With their tiny squeaks and twitchy noses, they help families to earn money and have fun!
Compassion Center Director Oswaldo says, “Guinea pigs are the most traditional animals of the Ecuadorian highlands. This animal can have babies very quickly, and they only need healthy food and green grass to survive.”
The Compassion center gave several families guinea pigs so they could start raising and selling them to earn money. Each grown guinea pig can be sold for $8, which is a lot of money for families in poverty. Parents love the stable income, and kids love raising the cute little critters!
“I love to come and pet the animals here,” says 8-year-old Emily. “I like to feed them and see them grow.”
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. — Genesis 1:25, NIV
Herik, 16, lives in Guatemala, and he keeps some very tiny animals: bees! Herik's Compassion center offered him the opportunity to join a project that would help him learn business skills, earn money and boost the local environment all in one. And he jumped at the chance!
“I was so enthusiastic about beekeeping. I never expected in my life to work with bees, but I love the experience,” says Herik. “I am so thankful for my tutor because he explains how bees work, how they make the honey.”
And his tiny bees are going to support his big future: “I’m going to graduate high school next year, which means a lot to me," he says. "I want to study at university, maybe engineering or law. I want to be a professional and support my family as they supported me.”
Paulina, 10, in Tanzania loves to run free, chasing her family's goats! But for Paulina, the freedom to run and play with her animal friends was almost taken away when her father pulled her out of school to arrange a marriage for her.
Paulina's tribe is called the Maasai people. They wear bright, beautiful clothes and herd goats and cattle. But sadly, in this tribe, arranged marriages for young girls are common. And they keep many girls like Paulina from enjoying being kids, going to school and learning what they need to chase their dreams.
But thankfully for Paulina, Compassion’s church partner stepped in to stop the marriage. Now this 10-year-old is safely back in the classroom. “I want to be a Swahili language teacher,” she says. And in the meantime, she gets to keep playing with and caring for her family's furry friends.
The righteous care for the needs of their animals. — Proverbs 12:10, NIV
Among the Karen people in Thailand, elephants are family. And for Santong, 13, Lulu the elephant is his bold bestie.
Among Karen families like Santong’s, the traditional role of elephant keeper, or mahout, is passed down from father to son. So someday, Santong or one of his brothers will become responsible for Lulu, the family’s 7-year-old elephant.
Santong says, “I love riding the elephant in the fields and feeding her.”
Like most parents in the community, Pasawah, Santong's father, wants his sons to grow up to know and respect Karen customs. He also understands how important school is and wants his boys to grow up to chase their dreams and be able to care for their families when they're adults.
“I’m getting older, so it’s my wish that one of my sons will take care of the elephant,” says Pasawah. “But if Santong desires to pursue higher education, I definitely support him.”
In Karen culture, people deeply respect elephants. These big creatures are valued members of their families, and they also help families pull plows for farmwork or can be ridden to help families get around.