[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”123929″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]04/13/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Though 9-year-old Royce Hany may not remember the incident, his whole village remains traumatized by the harsh persecution they faced years ago at the hands of violent, radical Islamists. Royce’s village remains divided today, with Christians living marginalized and socio-economically separated from their Muslim neighbors.
Royce recently joined ICC’s Hope House child sponsorship program. Like many Christian children in the village, Royce is at risk of continued persecution and its trickle-down effects. Royce’s father recently passed, and now his mother remains the head of the home. This only further places Royce at risk of persecution and its consequences.
With no father figure and as an only child, Royce may be forced to enter the workforce early and not be able to complete his education in order to provide for him and his mother. Luckily, his mother is currently very supportive of his education saying, “I have known the center classes are good, so I decided for my son to join the center. I was worried because I live alone with my son and my husband is dead, but the tok tok comes to our house to carry my son to the center, so it’s safe way, thanks for the service.” As a single mother, she worries about her son’s well-being but appreciates the transportation that Hope House so that it is one less concern for her.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”“I go to school for 2 days a week and l liked this. I understand well and go to my center classes then I get back to my house, I do my homework. I dream of being a barber like my father.”” font_container=”tag:h5|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1618323463330{margin-top: 50px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1618323474401{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
As a result of now having to grow up in a single-parent home, Royce also may face neglect in the form of shuttling or inadequate supervision as his mother attempts to secure their livelihood. Forced nutritional and medical neglect is also a concern for Royce as they discern how to make a living and may not have enough money to purchase healthier food or afford routine, preventative medical care.
It is not just Royce at potential risk, however. His mother, now a widow in a divided community, has lost her breadwinner and family advocate. She must now learn to make do with her own limited education while also encouraging Royce for his future.
This is where Hope House steps in. Hope House addresses these common concerns for the family in a divided and potentially hostile community where Christians face persecution. Though it will take time for the small family to adjust to their new life, the child sponsorship program gives them peace of mind in many of these at-risk areas. The program provides nutritional monthly food packages, routine medical care for Royce and even built-in child care for after school hours when Royce is at the center for secondary school. He told ICC, “I go to school for 2 days a week and l liked this. I understand well and go to my center classes then I get back to my house, I do my homework. I dream of being a barber like my father.”
His mother is also now eligible for the women’s literacy class offered to child sponsorship mothers to help them learn the basics of English, Arabic, and Math to assist their child at home and bolster their own abilities.
Royce is currently available for sponsorship to help bring his family through this challenging time in their lives. Would you prayerfully consider what it may look like to support Royce and his mother?
To learn more about ICC’s Hope House or provide a financial gift, visit this page. To inquire about sponsoring a child, contact ICC at icc@persecution.org.
For interviews please contact Alison Garcia: press@persecution.org
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