You may hear us often making a point to emphasize gender equality in our work at ADRA. Some of our project participants themselves often wonder why we put such an emphasis on helping women and girls. The reality is, when you support girls, you often end up helping boys along the way. And that’s exactly what you helped accomplish with Paul.

Paul (not his real name) is a 13-year-old boy from a Hmong family in Thailand. His life has played out quite differently from those of his four older brothers and one older sister, each of whom got married and began working after completing the 9^th grade.

The same might have happened to Paul. With a father plagued by lymphoma and one older brother at home suffering from mental illness brought on by amphetamine use, Paul’s mother had become the sole breadwinner for the family. As household expenses quickly exceeded her small income. Paul, the youngest child of the family, began to work for additional household income at only 11 years old – in corn fields, rubber tree plantations, and rice paddies. His work earned him only a fraction of what his mother made, though his hours and responsibilities mirrored those of full-grown adults. Worst of all, this labour took Paul away from school. And even with supportive, encouraging teachers, and a subsidized education system, Paul and his family could not afford his school uniform or school supplies.

Thankfully, the staff of ADRA’s Keep Girls Safe project had designated his community as one of their targets. Through ADRA, you helped to provide Paul with a scholarship that has allowed Paul to get back into the classroom. He enjoys playing soccer at school and has been described by his teachers as a good student. This is the difference you make when you support ADRA. Not only do you help keep young girls safe from exploitation, child labour, and trafficking, but you also help a young boy dream – for the first time in his life – of becoming a professional footballer.