Room To Dream
Have you ever wondered what kids’ bedrooms, classrooms, kitchens and bathrooms look like in different parts of the world? Step inside the rooms of children living in poverty and discover where they sleep, eat and dream. You’ll see how Compassion sponsorship helps turn their spaces into safe, happy places.
“¡A comer!” That’s how they say, “Let’s eat!” in Guatemala. Seven-year-old Cristina stands in her grandparents’ kitchen where her older sister, Maria, prepares meals — often over an open fire or on a griddle to make fresh tortillas. Sunshine streams through gaps between the wall and the roof. It fills the room with light, but smoke still stays in the air.
Cristina and her little brother, Ariel, hug Maria tightly. After losing their home in a mudslide, they’ve been living with their grandparents. Thanks to Compassion’s church partner, their new home is being built in a safer place. Soon they’ll have a fresh start — one where mealtimes are filled with love, laughter and hope for the future.
Detective mission: Use a
Secret Decoder Ring (download it here!) Then look closely at these rooms and use your decoder ring to discover what kids need to thrive.
Purnima lives in Bangladesh, where her uncle and dad pick tea leaves. They work hard but don’t make much money, so buying food can be tough.
When Purnima’s baby sister, Protima, was little, she got very sick because she didn’t have enough to eat. But thanks to special formula from the Compassion center — and lots of love from Purnima — Protima is now a happy, healthy toddler!
In Purnima’s village, families cook over clay or brick stoves using wood, dried leaves or even cow poop for fuel. It makes the house smoky! They don’t have a sink inside, so they collect water from a pump or stream and store it in big containers. And without a fridge, they only cook what they can eat that day.
Purnima stirs the pot carefully. A warm meal means full bellies — and full bellies mean energy to play, learn and dream.
In many homes, kids don’t have their own bedrooms. Instead, they sleep, study and play in rooms used for everything — like the living room! Even though life is hard, parents can make their homes feel warm and special, just like Agung’s family.
Agung lives in Bandung, Indonesia, right next to the railroad tracks! Trains rumble past, but he’s so used to the noise that it never wakes him up.
He shares a bedroom with his mom and keeps a few treasures there, like the stuffed puppet he uses as a pillow and his favorite thing: his guitar! Since his room is dark, he plays guitar and does homework in the living room. He uses a small folding table as a desk and tucks it away to make space.
At night, the living room becomes a bedroom for the rest of the family. Even though it’s small, Agung feels at home. “I would prefer not to move,” he says. No matter where he sleeps, he always has room to dream.
Chornelia and Charoline have shared a bedroom for as long as they can remember.
“It’s tricky when we fight, but we still have to sleep next to each other,” Chornelia says, laughing.
Charoline loves playing outside and only uses the bedroom for sleep, while Chornelia enjoys staying inside. When she’s sad, her room is where she feels safe. They even have different dreams for their room. Charoline wants bright white walls, while Chornelia imagines cozy brown colors.
Both girls wish for more space, but they know their family can’t afford it right now. Soon, Charoline will leave for boarding school, and they’ll finally have separate rooms — but they’ll also be apart. “I’ll miss having someone to argue with!” Charoline says. Their shared room will always hold special memories.
Have you ever slept on the floor? Many kids around the world don’t have beds. In one mountainous village of Ecuador, children used to sleep on the cold, hard floor with only thin mats. It made their bodies hurt and made getting good rest so they could learn harder.
But thanks to their Compassion center, kids are getting new beds! Their local church built beds from recycled wood and new mattresses.
For 5-year-old Sandra, it means more than a soft, warm place to sleep. She now wakes up ready to learn and full of energy! The beds aren’t just furniture. They show kids they are loved and give them the rest they need to learn, play and dream of bright futures!
Welcome to Celestina’s home in Guatemala! She’s 10 years old and lives with her parents in one room where they do everything — eat, sleep and spend time together.
Even though the room is a little crowded, the family has made it feel special. The walls are decorated with Celestina’s beautiful artwork, colorful paper flowers and sweet baby photos. There’s even a hammock hung from the ceiling where Celestina can rest.
She loves to read her Bible on her bed, and it’s one of her favorite places to be. This room may be small, but it’s full of love!
Every day, Jhonefer washed with a bucket of water in his backyard, but he dreamed of a real bathroom. In his town in Colombia, most houses aren’t connected to pipes, so families don’t have bathrooms. For the toilet, he had to go in a field across from his house. It was scary and embarrassing.
When the Compassion center found out, they helped! They built real bathrooms for 60 families, including Jhonefer’s! Now he has a clean bathroom with a toilet, sink and shiny new shower.
“I really like the shower,” Jhonefer says with a big smile. “It’s way better than using a bucket!”
Double check you’ve chosen the right pangolin, Agent! Two of these sneaky guys look very similar!
Imagine needing to use a neighbor’s bathroom every time you had to go! That’s what Kerel’s family had to do because they didn’t have a toilet at home. It felt embarrassing, and sometimes they had to wait.
In Kerel’s village in Indonesia, many families don’t have toilets. Without them, germs can spread easily. Some kids have to use outdoor latrines — holes in the ground that can be smelly and make people sick.
But thanks to Kerel’s sponsor, everything changed! Now his family has their own toilet. It’s a traditional Indonesian toilet — no flush button, just a big bucket of water to pour and wash everything away.
Kerel’s mom is so happy. “I can’t believe that finally our family has a toilet now! We are free to go to the toilet anytime we need to.” Now Kerel’s family has something everyone deserves: a private, clean and safe place to go!
Bernadette was in class, focused on her lessons, when the principal told her she had to go home because her school fees hadn’t been paid. Her heart sank.
As she walked home, the rain soaked her only notebook, ruining her work. She had to wait until her parents could find enough money to send her back to school.
“I felt so miserable and abandoned,” she says.
Then, everything changed. Compassion teamed up with a church in her village to help kids like Bernadette. They paid her school fees and provided a uniform, shoes, school supplies and a backpack.
Now Bernadette walks into school full of confidence, excited to learn. She’s dreaming big and one day wants to work in the government and make a difference!
In the tiny village of Powley, Thailand, there were no schools — until 2019, when a church worked with Compassion to build the first one! It was a small, wooden building with chalkboards dividing the classrooms. But for Nawdalerpaw, it meant everything.
She loved learning, but the school only went up to grade four. The next nearest school was two hours away, and the dorms were full. Would her dreams end here? Compassion didn’t give up. They brought teachers to Powley so kids could continue to grade six!
“It was the best day of my life when I found out I could stay and study!” Nawdalerpaw cheers.
Now she’s back in school, learning and dreaming. When she finishes grade six, the church will help her keep going. “I love to go to school so much because I can learn many things,” she says. “I can dream! And I believe that my dreams will come true.”
