Optimistic Voices
Vital voices in the fields of global health, global child welfare reform and family separation, and those intent on conducting ethical missions in low resource communities and developing nations. Join our hosts as they engage in conversations with diverse guests from across the globe, sharing optimistic views, experiences, and suggestions for better and best practices as they discuss these difficult topics.
Optimistic Voices
Hannah's Story - Broken to Brave: A Father's Fight to Bring His Children Home
What happens when a struggling father refuses to let disability define his family's future? Hannah Smith's remarkable story reveals the transformative journey from family separation to triumphant reunion in post-war Sierra Leone.
Hannah's story begins in hardship—her disabled father, a determined blacksmith, made the heartbreaking decision to place his children in an orphanage when he couldn't provide basic necessities. Though initially grateful for education and proper care at the Child Rescue Center, Hannah and her siblings soon felt a profound emptiness without their father's presence. "Every day spent without him, it was like, 'When are we going to see our dad again?'" Hannah shares, revealing how even well-intentioned institutional care cannot replace family bonds.
The turning point came through empowerment, not charity. The CRC's microfinance program equipped Hannah's father with business training and initial capital that allowed him to expand his blacksmith work creating farming tools and even open a small cinema for community football viewings. Crawling on the ground to perform his craft during difficult rainy seasons when orders decreased, this remarkable man refused to surrender to circumstances. He transformed from a parent who couldn't provide into a successful entrepreneur who trained others and rebuilt his family's future.
Today, Hannah pursues higher education inspired by her father's extraordinary example. "He's our strong pillar... despite his condition, he's always keeping a deep smile to tell people that yes, even though he's disabled, all is not lost." Her powerful message reminds us that determination coupled with the right support can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Subscribe now to hear more inspiring stories of resilience and hope—and learn how you can help ensure more children grow up where they belong: in families.
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Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.
https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html
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A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download
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Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join
Shout out to our newest sponsor: The Resilience Institute
Helpingchildrenworldwide.org
Welcome to Optimistic Voices, A Child's View, where we share stories of resilience and hope through the eyes of a child.
Speaker 2:I'm Elena, and this is my co-host, melody. Together, we'll talk about real kids who faced tough challenges and the amazing people who helped them find a brighter future.
Speaker 1:Each episode features a special guest who will take us on a journey, one filled with adversity, compassion and hope. Today's story is especially inspiring because it speaks to the generational impact of empowerment.
Speaker 2:From losing everything in a war-torn country to rebuilding his life. With the help of the orphanage where he had been forced to place his children, Hannah's father was empowered to raise himself out of abject poverty and take back control of his children's well-being.
Speaker 3:Let's welcome today's guest, hannah Smith.
Speaker 2:Thank you everyone for having me.
Speaker 3:Before we dive in, tell us a little bit about yourself. I'm Hannah Smith, living with my father and family members in Sierra Leone. We are a tiny number that lives together as family. I lived in the orphanage for about five years and had to reunite with my family.
Speaker 1:Can you tell us about how you came to be living in that orphanage?
Speaker 3:Before we entered into the orphanage, we were struggling to go to school, having feeding from our father, who is disabled. And also we are just in the community roaming about because our dad was disabled and he had to strike for the day for us to earn our living. We are taken into the orphanage to live and this happened within the year 2012. We were brought to CRC. We were able to get proper education and feeding, clothing and some of the things we needed the most which were not available at the time. We were in the community with our dad.
Speaker 2:What was it like living?
Speaker 3:in an orphanage. Well, actually, at first it was really good because the things that we were lack of especially education, feeding, clothing was provided. As for the moment, we saw it as a very good idea because we were so glad and happy about it. But as time goes on, we started missing the love of our dad because he was not given the chance to visit us and every day spent without him it was like, oh, when are we going to see our dad again? When will we talk to him again? So it started making us sad again, because we really loved him and miss him most.
Speaker 2:That makes me so sad for you.
Speaker 1:Hannah, who do you think helped your family the most? Who stepped up for you and what did they do to help?
Speaker 3:the most. Who stepped up for you and what did they do to help? Well, actually, I could say the Child Rescue Center stepped up for me, reason being at the time of suffering. Like I said earlier on, my dad is disabled, no wife at home living as children with him. He was struggling to get everything that we needed and we had no education at that moment. So, with the help of CRC, we had to get our education, which we started from nursery up to primary and secondary school level, and also we were not lack of shelter when we were at home with our parents.
Speaker 3:It was very difficult. It was a very difficult way of living. But as time goes on, when we were at the orphanage, thank God he started getting the chance of visiting us. It was so much difficult for him to leave us behind whenever he came to visit and us also felt it very badly. So for some times it was brought to the notice because we were not the only one, but others also felt the same way. We were feeling and it was like there was a possibility.
Speaker 3:We went for holidays where we could get time with our relatives, so that space was created until we feel the taste of father's love. We are separated and had no chance to meet with them. As with that, my dad was sad, because how is it possible that your own children can be just taken away from you and they can only limit you on specific times to visit them, talk to them, and that seems to be very difficult with my dad at that moment. My dad actually is a blacksmith. He does make tools like holes, cutlers, rags and other local items that could be used for farming. That is his actual job, that he does for the day to earn money, and also he was engaged into a microfinance program.
Speaker 1:Please go on, Hannah. Thank you.
Speaker 3:After we went to our dad, staying at home with him, I turned to the CRC because they enrolled him into a microfinance program where he was taught how to handle money and do business with it and with that money he was able to engage into business like opening a cinema for people to watch games entertainment footballs, watch game entertainment purpose and also he bought tools which he used to produce other materials, items for people to buy, and it came to time where people came to him to talk, just to have time with him, some moments with him, and also, um, he had to teach.
Speaker 3:There are two boys, two guys that he taught how to do the blacksmith work, but absolutely they are not staying with him now. They all went on their own because they are now big people and now he's doing the work with my younger brother and a man who does assist him when my brother is not around, he assists him to do the work instead of him sitting alone. And also, even though my dad being a disabled, it's so difficult for him at times like dragging on the ground doing the blacksmith's work, especially when it's rainy season, because rainy season sometimes there are no works. People don't bring these tools to shop or bring items for him to make. So it seems like lack of money for the main time within rainy season, seems like lack of money for the main time within Renicisi, and so he strikes a lot to do find money for our living, like feed us, giving us shelters. So that was a very big obstacle he does undergo.
Speaker 2:That's incredible. It sounds like your dad was the biggest helper of all. The CRC gave him the power to change his life, but he did the work to make the changes. You must feel so proud of him.
Speaker 3:Yes, I am, because with all what CRC did, he supported so greatly, because, even though he's disabled, he never lose hope. He was. He's like a strong man, our strong pillar, because he wants to see us get a brighter future and he wants to see us always happy. And with this kind of man I think I should be a role model for him, because, despite his condition, he's always keeping a deep smile to tell people that, yes, even though he's disabled, all is not lost and he keeps on faith, struggles hard for him to see that, yes, the family, his country, gets its satisfaction.
Speaker 1:Let's take a moment to celebrate your amazing father and the microfinance team at the CRC.
Speaker 2:Especially your dad. He's such a great role model. So, Hannah, you are all grown up now. What are you doing now? How are you following your dad's lead in taking charge of your life?
Speaker 3:How are you following your dad's lead in taking charge of your life? Well, actually, I'm still attending school. I'm trying to get to the university and, with this, every day, I do study, because this is all what my dad is struggling for for him to see that I get education and later on support him when he's old. And that's what I am looking forward to and working hard on for my future, because, with all his strength, my support in us, I would not want him to be like that, because he has gone through a lot to support me and my siblings.
Speaker 3:So I need to stay focused on my education more especially to see that I achieve what my main aim is and make him a proud father. And he's still struggling because, with me not at the end of education, he's still struggling to earn money in order to support my education and the education of my siblings. So he's the best dad. I would be always proud of him because he's doing a lot, really. He's really doing a lot, even though he's disabled I could say the way he's doing most of the people who are standing straight like nothing is wrong with them. At times, when I do my observations, I reach doing for the adults as, like the way, my dad is trying very hard to do for me. So I'm really glad and hope that I will make it up one fine day and give him the support that he wished for at the end.
Speaker 1:The Child Reintegration Center's microfinance program has a lot of success stories. Like your family, anna. They've empowered lots of families to become able to lift themselves out of the deepest poverty imaginable and overcome obstacles. I I am a big fan of empowerment programs and I bet you are too. Sounds like it. And such a great outcome for all of you, because your father decided to take advantage of what was offered to him and he really changed all of your lives.
Speaker 2:I'm so thrilled for you, Hannah. It's amazing what can happen when people choose to invest in others and offer them genuine opportunities to learn and grow. I think that's what Melody means by empowerment.
Speaker 1:And the real heroes are people like your dad who take chances on themselves, believe in their own abilities to change and act on that belief for their children's sake. I really do believe that. So before we wrap up, I always ask our guest and our youth co-host to reflect on the lessons in the story you've shared. This is Elena's first episode as co-hosting, so I'm really interested to hear what her insights are. But, Hannah, what's one note of optimism you'd like our listeners to take away from this story?
Speaker 3:I would like our listeners to take home like never lose hope when things are difficult, in times of difficult times, pray and commit everything to God. Because within my stories, as you heard, my dad is disabled and yet still he never loses hope. He's a strong man who is fighting hard to see that the family is happy. And if you are that kind of person, I know one day we'll make a better world. Like giving all our strengths, minds and depending and focusing on our dreams. Because if you have dreams, you have to be focused to achieve those dreams. And when you are focused, I guess you you would have achieved your dreams and things will be possible, even though you think it's not possible. Help support children to grow up in families. That is where they belong.
Speaker 2:My note of optimism from Hannah's story is that it reminds me of how alike we all are, that family means so much to all of us.
Speaker 2:I think about the CRC's microfinance team taking a chance on someone like Hannah's dad and how they empowered him to do what he needed to do to save his family, and what that means to Hannah and how she feels empowered by his example. I think about how often my parents have been role models for me, and I don't even know at the time that's what they were doing. I just do what they did because I see how they succeed. They encourage me too. We're all each other's cheerleaders. I think that's the best part of empowerment. Hannah's dad makes me optimistic that one day I can be the person who has the power to change a child's whole life by being courageous and overcoming difficulties, making them feel safe and loved, by being willing to do anything to help them and showing them how to keep trying to do better no matter what anything to help them and showing them how to keep trying to do better, no matter what.
Speaker 1:We hope today's story has inspired you all to look around and see how you can be part of someone's journey, whether it's through kindness, volunteering or simply being there and loving them. Small actions make a big difference.
Speaker 2:Thank you, hannah, for sharing this incredible story and thank you, listeners, for joining us today on Optimistic Voices A Child's View.
Speaker 1:If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, share it with your friends and leave a review Together. We can all bring more stories of hope and empowerment to light. We can all bring more stories of hope and empowerment to light.
Speaker 2:Until next time, remember there's always hope and every voice matters. Bye for now.
