We love any opportunity to celebrate our kids. They are amazing. They are hardworking, determined, resilient, and joyful. They are loved. Birthdays are one opportunity to celebrate our kids and remind them just how special and loved they are.
Birthdays in Sierra Leone are joyful celebrations. Sierra Leoneans have adopted many traditions of the western world. Birthdays often include gifts, parties, and birthday cake as they celebrate the gift and blessing of another year of life. If you have sponsored for a while, your child may have even asked when your birthday is, and they will often remember it from year to year. Our kids love birthdays, and birthdays at our center are a big party.
More than ten years ago, we held our first birthday party celebration at The Covering. Many children had no idea when their birthday was, and they had never been celebrated or given a birthday cake. We decided to fix that, and ever since, EVERY child has had a birthday celebration EVERY year! In the beginning, we celebrated birthdays quarterly; however, in recent years, we have made it a priority to celebrate birthdays monthly. On the final Saturday of each month, all of our kids gather to celebrate the birthdays from that month. Auntie Marie and the girls at the Roots House make a cake and prepare food, and the celebrants enjoy a meal, soda, and cake. They love being celebrated by their friends and enjoy the special treats and attention that come with the birthday celebrations. Our kids really look forward to it!
New this year, our young adults in the Roots House who are attending University will have an extra opportunity to celebrate with their friends. During their birthday month, they will have a chance to take one or two friends out for ice cream to celebrate their birthday.
Our Sponsorship Coordinator, Karen Pyle, recently invited sponsors to help The Raining Season fund our monthly birthday celebrations. Your support is important so that we can continue these celebrations for our kids. Can you help our kids feel like kings and queens on their birthdays? If you haven’t had the opportunity to donate yet, you can donate HERE.
Thank you for partnering with us to provide monthly birthday celebrations because every child’s life deserves to be celebrated!
Many blessings,
The Raining Season