Susy Gomez’s heart broke as she listened to the new college student share his story. The young Peruvian engineering student had excellent grades and a full scholarship, but between himself and his mother, a disabled woman who tried to feed the family by selling barbecue, they could not raise the $100 needed for additional school expenses such as supplies.
“The first step was to get him registered for school,” Gomez explained. That was accomplished thanks to some extra money that had been given to support her own time in Peru. Then she searched for a sponsor.
As an intern for the People of Peru Project Backpack Program, it was one of her jobs to assist and find sponsors for families who needed school supplies for children in school. She already sponsored some other families herself, so Gomez shared this student’s story with a short-term volunteer working in the area. “The volunteer decided to become a sponsor!” Gomez remembered excitedly. “This felt like a great accomplishment. But I know so many more who need help.”
