A Story of Transformation

By World Vision Chad; Edited by Katie Hackett 

When Rachel's husband died in 1994, he left her on her own with seven children to care for.

"Day and night I prayed and asked God's help," she remembers. "And God heard me."

When World Vision partnered with Laokassy, her situation became more hopeful. Four of Rachel's children were sponsored " Marie-France, Ninaud, Scintisse and Marius.

The family received four pigs to start a breeding operation. By 2007, Rachel's herd had grown to 85 sows and she was selling pigs at a profit.

"With that money, I could buy two cows, two oxen, one plow, one cart and also a Honda motorcycle," she says. The motorcycle became instrumental in her weekly market trips, where she sold crops like millet, sesame and peanuts.

"It is with these means that I could register my seven children for school and provide for all their needs," she explains.

Today, Rachel is an active community member. She was chosen by her neighbours to be trained as a birth attendant, and helps mothers during delivery at a health centre built by World Vision.

She's especially proud of Ninaud, her second born, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree at university.

Rachel says she thinks of World Vision as the "new husband" that God has given to her " a partner who has helped her family to thrive.