The Power of One

Throughout all of my job experience I have been taught to invest in individuals. Whether I am teaching or nannying, tutoring or coaching, my job is to be dedicated to a single child's success. 

I was blessed to work with some amazing families over the years, families with unlimited resources and proactive, protective parents. They teach their children to follow their dreams, tell them they are special, give them everything they need to be successful and far, far more. Watching these children blossom has been a joy.

As a teacher, I am invested in the thirty individuals of my classroom. I watch our schools spend thousands and thousands of dollars on one student's developmental delay. Spending hours and hours and hours on one student's speech impediment. Everyone is dedicated to helping a child grow and progress to their fullest potential. In our country, every single child has the right to a free and public education. Our children actually have rights, our schools must accommodate them.

I got to spend time with some special faces at New Times School. I spent days singing and calling and drawings their names. And they are individuals. Peter and Jethro and Annah and Blessing and Monica and Benja and Isaiah and Benson and Judith and Betsey. They were smart. They were polite. They were hard-working. They were ambitious. They were eager to learn. They were thankful. They are as valuable as your own children. And just as smart with just as much potential. They have the same tiny toes, the same sticky hands, the same big brown eyes, the same vulnerable little hearts craving a trusted adult's attention. 

Some people look at the orphan crisis like a text book or an excel spreadsheet or a heated debate. They see the large numbers and the roadblocks and they think this problem is too big to solve. And they forget that marginalized groups of people consist of individuals. Faces. Names. Favorite colors.  

They are not statistics. 
This child is not from another world.
 Poverty is not acceptable for this child. 
She is not just one of 137 million. 
She is not nameless. 
She is Ruth.

We are fellow human beings, living on this one planet we own together. All of our lives are equally as valuable and equally as delicate. We feel this when a natural disaster attacks across borders. We feel this when a health epidemic sweeps across nations. We feel this when we study the moon and the stars. We feel this when we celebrate holidays or attend mass on Sundays. Not one of us is more important than the other.

So what length are we willing to go in order to save the lives of individual children?

 

Malala Yousafzai. Hellen Keller. Anne Frank. Ruby Bridges. Mattie Stepanek. 

Do not stop investing in individuals.