Child Champions in Bangladesh Are Role Models of Resilience

“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.”

This advice by an unknown author is lived out by Child Champions around the world, including two courageous men in Bangladesh who have experienced the same kinds of hardship many children there face. As children see how their Child Champions have overcome difficulties with resilience, they realize that they can, too.

A Champion for the Lonely

Robin responded with faith to the hardships he experienced in childhood.

When Robin meets children who feel lonely, he has special empathy for them.

When he was 5 years old, he was separated from his family and placed in an orphanage where he lived for several years. Then he was uprooted once again and moved to another orphanage.

This difficult childhood might have made him bitter, but Robin responded instead with faith. He says that continual prayer gave him the strength to stand strong through hard times.

Robin’s unshakeable faith and resilience have made him a compassionate teacher and leader. He now serves as Head Tutor at a Hope Center in Bangladesh, which is also a school, where he has served for 24 years. He oversees the operations of the school and serves at his church.

Asked why he is a Child Champion, Robin says simply, “Because I love children.”

Just as he overcame his difficult childhood and went on to serve children and the Lord, Robin encourages others to do the same.

“I want to help others in their difficult times just as I have received help from others in my difficult times,” says Robin. This mindset reveals a heart of gratitude and kindness that is evident to his colleagues.

“Robin is a man of integrity,” says Program Manager Leon. “He always cares for the children. He always thinks about the children.”

Samoresh takes time to visit with a student at the Hope Center.

Facing Hardship With Prayer

Samoresh is another Child Champion who has experienced a challenge common to the children he serves — financial hardship. He also deals with a physical challenge that makes it difficult to walk.

Recalling a time when he faced dire financial circumstances, Samoresh says, “I prayed to God and asked His mercy.”

He adds, “I tried to stay strong with my patience through many hardships — for which I have seen the light of my future.”

Samoresh saw his prayer answered when he joined the Hope Center as a teacher. Life still isn’t easy, but he can now provide for his family.

And, like Robin, he has a heart of gratitude.

“Though I have physical and financial difficulties, I am happy as I can work for the children,” says Samoresh. “Every day, when I see their smiling faces, I forget all my difficulties. I am thankful to all our supporters.”

And the children notice and appreciate his care.

“Samoresh sir is an ideal person as a Child Champion,” says Dristy, one of the children at the Hope Center. “He loves us as his children, and he takes care of us.”

Read about how a Hope Center in Bangladesh helped a girl fulfill her dream of learning.

Samoresh not only teaches and cares for children at the Hope Center, but he also visits their homes to encourage their families, helps them write letters to their sponsors, and assists with office work.

Just as he models resilience and faith for the children, Samoresh hopes that they will do the same one day.

“I hope that all our children will be a model to their respective family and community after completing the program at the Hope Center,” he says.

Teaching by Example

Robin and Samoresh show us that one of the most effective ways Child Champions teach children is through their own character lived out day-to-day.

The adults serving at Hope Centers around the world are not outsiders, but neighbors who walk the same streets that the children walk.

When children see their teacher, mentor, or coach facing the same hardships with courage, that Child Champion becomes a powerful role model, holding out a pattern for the children to follow.

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