Joy of the house

Laughter is a familiar presence in Fatima’s house, and she is often the spark.

Fatima is 10 and the eldest child of three. Drawing and coloring bring her joy.

She loves riding her bicycle and playing soccer with her friends, and she finds wonder in monarch butterflies.

The delicate butterflies with an extraordinary annual migration pattern are typically symbolic of hope and endurance — an apt representation of the journey of Fatima and her family as they seek to overcome poverty in their rural community in southern Mexico. Fatima, though, is simply fascinated with the bright orange and black color of the monarchs’ wings.

“I like butterflies because they’re very pretty,” she said.

Children find a sense of wonder in many ordinary things and Fatima is no exception.

Her mother, María, says to know Fatima is to love her.

“She is the joy of the house, the spark of the family,” María said.

And though her happiness is a natural part of her bright personality, Fatima and her siblings have had the type of healthy upbringing that nurtures childhood innocence. Sponsorship has helped her parents continue to provide that for their children.

It’s the kind of carefree childhood María never had but that all children deserve.

The life behind joy

In Spanish, Fatima’s family name means “joy.”

Fatima’s family makes their home in a rural community of just over 1,100 residents in Mexico’s Chiapas state.

María, 39, is one of 12 siblings and grew up in the community where her family settled 40 years ago after losing everything to a volcano eruption. Her father was a hard worker and cultivated corn from the land they settled on until housing developments overtook the fields, and he was forced to find informal work in the nearby city.

María described her childhood as “marked by scarcity,” but her father ensured his children never went hungry and always had the chance for education. María remembers walking a long distance to school barefoot and using her older siblings’ recycled notebooks because the family couldn’t afford new school supplies.

She took part in a service program teaching children in rural communities when she was 18 and received a three-year scholarship to attend college, where she studied accounting. María worked before meeting and marrying Fatima’s father, Sergio, in her late 20s.

Sergio works in an informal role in the tourism industry, and his income varies, while María cares for Fatima’s two younger brothers, Elías, 5, and Lucas, 2. María sometimes sells produce in the community for extra income, and she hopes to one day be able to return to a more formal line of work once her children have all begun schooling.

She’s determined that her children will have opportunities for education for as long as she can help them fulfill their dreams. That’s one of the reasons Unbound’s sponsorship program means so much to her.

“I want both my boys and my girl to finish a degree,” María said of her dream for her children. “How we’ll manage, I don’t know, but it will work out. For me, that’s the priority."

A sponsorship that brings opportunities for learning and joy

Living in poverty can impact a child’s overall health and well-being in interconnected ways.

Children in poverty are more likely to live in poor housing or neighborhoods that have higher levels of environmental pollution and violence, causing sickness, anxiety and stress. In food-insecure households, a lack of access to fresh, nutritious meals can result in poor overall health and academic outcomes.

According to UNICEF, the stress of poverty on a child’s developing mind and body can “rewire the brain,” leading them to overreact to everyday stressors and making it harder for them to learn effectively.

Fatima’s community is small, and everyone knows one another. Her family is also united. The support of family and community has helped Fatima thrive.

Fatima has been sponsored through Unbound for six years. When she started primary school, school-related expenses became the family’s biggest need. Fatima’s sponsorship benefit is largely used on school uniforms, shoes, and school supplies and materials.

“I’ve taught my daughter that [Unbound’s] support is for [education] and that she should use her school supplies well,” María said. “I don’t want her to go through what I did. I don’t feel ashamed of what I went through, but I don’t want her to have to go to school barefoot like I did.”

Fatima never meets a stranger and is described as funny, spontaneous, affectionate, humble and intelligent. Her favorite subject in school is math, and she loves getting to work in teams with her classmates.

Fatima also loves riding her bicycle to school with her friends. Her bicycle was a purchase the family made after combining some savings with a financial gift from Fatima’s sponsor, whom Fatima has a special relationship with.

“I feel proud because even though we are far apart, we communicate often,” Fatima said. “My sponsor never forgets me.”

Fatima and her family have realized many benefits from being a part of Unbound outside of the sponsor-sponsored friend relationship.

María has experienced belonging while participating in the local Unbound mothers group and has helped lead various Agents of Change initiatives to improve her community. In addition, completing the Poverty Stoplight survey has helped her set goals and save for big expenses.

One of the goals she achieved recently was repairing the family’s refrigerator. In addition, she’s saving to afford medical treatment for a condition Fatima has with her feet.

For Fatima, activities with the local Unbound office, often led by Unbound scholarship students, have given the youngster a place for a creative outlet and socializing, which has benefited her social and emotional well-being.

She joins other children from the program once a week at the office to take part in activities like painting, watching movies, tending a garden, playing games, attending workshops or crafting.

In fact, Fatima’s favorite thing about Unbound is the crafting activities, which she says calm her.

“For me, Unbound means a part of my heart,” Fatima said. “Because I learn a lot there, and I really like it.”

Dreams wrapped in hope, joy and determination

María’s greatest hope for the future is to see her children grow up with what they need.

“Hope for me means having faith in something, that maybe, something can be achieved,” she said.

Though María would love to see Fatima as a doctor someday, Fatima has her own dreams — as most children her age do — and her family will let her determine the path for her future.

Fatima’s joy is in her smile that lights up a room, in her infectious laugh, in the excitement with which she greets each new day, and in her determination to achieve her dreams.

“I dream of being a teacher, a police officer, a veterinary doctor or a painter, or sometimes being a farmer, and many other things,” Fatima said.

Hope, she said, comes to her because she dreams.

Support families like Fatima’s in overcoming the challenges of poverty when you begin a sponsorship today.

Unbound Field Communications Director Henry Flores, Regional Reporter in Latin America Oscar Tuch and Multimedia Producer/Editor Danika Wolf contributed information and photos for this story.