Samai’s story

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Did you know that 870 million people in our world do not have enough to eat? That’s one in eight people who will go hungry tonight.

God has created a beautiful abundant world for everyone, and if we look after it wisely, everyone can have their fair share of food.

Samai is five years old. Samai goes to primary school. His favourite lesson is reading. Samai loves spending time with his dad because he helps him to study.

He is a very clever boy. His teachers smile when they talk about him – they say he could achieve anything he wants - if he has the chance.

Samai lives with his family in a small village in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is a beautiful country with green mountains and waterfalls.

Sierra Leone is also one of the poorest countries in the world. Many children in Sierra Leone have to stop school because their families don’t have enough food to eat. Mums and dads sometimes have to spend the savings they may have kept for books and school fees on providing food for the family.Going to school is important to everyone, but staying alive comes first.

For six months of the year it is very difficult to find food. From May until October, when crops are not ready to eat, there is not enough food to go around. This is known as the ‘hungry season’.

CAFOD is working together with Samai’s family to show them how to grow crops on previously unused land. The food will help them to eat during difficult times in the year. Samai’s family can use the extra money that they earn from selling their crops to send Samai to school.

Samai’s mum and dad know how important education is and they want Samai to go to school so he can reach his full potential.

In England and Wales, CAFOD is our way of sharing more fairly with people living in poverty, so that they can be healthy, comfortable and secure. Through action and prayer, we stand together to say that everyone deserves to be heard and treated with respect.

CAFOD believes that everyone has the right to enough food to eat, no matter where they are.

CAFOD’s vision is that a better world can be achieved so that all can enjoy fullness of life. Because of CAFOD’s support, and the support of people in England and Wales, Samai and his family’s future are looking much brighter.

Thank you for listening.

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