Angie was found wandering by the sea wall in Guyana, South America when she was nine years old. Her mother was a prostitute in the area and unable to provide and care for Angie properly. She was scooped up into the loving arms of Michael and Michiel Campbell and brought to live at the Save-R-Kids Children’s Home.
The Campbells, along with their three adult daughters run Save-R-Kids and create an atmosphere that makes it feel like a family. As the children grow up and begin to look forward to adulthood, the dreams for the future can often be clouded by difficult situations in their past. What happens to the children once they reach an age when they have outgrown what Save-R-Kids can provide?
Because our hearts were burdened with the desire to help the young adults living at the home make a smooth transition into adulthood, we started the SRK Wings program in 2013. Many of the youth simply leave after finishing high school with very little idea about what they will do. We were told stories of some that returned to unhealthy family situations, turned up with unplanned pregnancies, or ended up in poor job situations. Most eventually seemed to fall off the radar. It saddened our hearts. By providing a program with a Christ centered foundation we envision our alumni from SRK Wings becoming productive, independent, responsible adults within families and society able to make practical and wholesome life choices.
At the time SRK Wings was formed, Angie was finishing high school with no idea of what she would do. Her only option seemed to be to return to her mother and very possibly assume a life as a prostitute.
During their last year of high school the students in Guyana take exams to see if they have the potential to continue on to higher education. In her first attempt Angie’s grades were not good but the Campbell’s recognized that Angie had potential. They asked SRK Wings to provide tutoring for her. After a year of tutoring Angie took her exams again. Her scores were high enough to get her accepted into a college program in business management, which had become her dream.
Each of the youth at the Save-R-Kids home has a unique story and potential future. Each one is nurtured on a very individual basis. Along with high school tutoring which is benefitting many of the children, SRK Wings also provides job apprenticeships and continuing education, which includes enrolling qualified youth into university programs like Angie. The next goal for SRK Wings is to develop a transitional housing program along with counseling and mentorship to advance the life skills needed towards gaining true independence.
Our program is young and evolving. Although every story may not appear as outwardly successful as Angie’s, we are excited with the beginning progression we are seeing over the past year. We expect that as SRK Wings grows it will provide a vision and culture within the home for all of the children to acquire healthy dreams and aspirations in using their God-given talents toward a life that He would intend for them.