Lishini is a little girl who is 10 years old. Like many other children of her age, she enjoys drawing and painting. “I love drawing with my crayons”, she says smiling.

The smile on Lishini’s face does not reflect the uncertain times she went through as a newborn. She was only 6 days old when she found herself all alone and afraid in an unfamiliar world. Unfortunately, her mother was not able to take care of her and comfort of a family was a distant dream. Her mother's strong desire was to see her daughter growing up in a normal family.

The authorities sent the little Lishini to an SOS Children's Village for better care. Lishini got a new family and her SOS mother welcomed her with open arms. This was possible due to support of sponsors like you. Lishini quickly became the darling of the family as well as the Village community itself, as she started laughing and playing and getting used to the new surroundings.

Today, Lishini is growing up like any other child from the community. She has turned out to be quite a mischievous and intelligent girl. Yet, she is also very sweet and her endearing smile has remained throughout. She is inquisitive and loves to ask questions from all those around her so that she can understand how things around her work.

In school, Lishini has a very good rapport with her class teacher and loves doing her school home work alone. She knows how to count up to 20 in English, as well as the English alphabets much before all of her friends at school. Another pursuit of Lishini is to draw. She is always seen filling up her drawing book full of pictures which she paints in a bright blend of colours. “I love to paint fruits, vehicles, animals and flowers” says Lishini showing us her creations.

Back at the Village, Lishini ventures out to play with her brothers and sisters. She loves playing on the swing and readily takes turns, pushing her little friends and then running off to play games like hide-and-seek. She also likes to watch television. Lishini can instantly imitate the cartoon characters she watches. She does this with such delight that her sisters and brothers often ask her to play act, especially when friends are around.

She also has a keen interest in dance and music. As a toddler, she used to watch the older children attending dance and music classes for hours. It was no surprise when Lishini took up dancing. She has taken important parts in dances, dramas, performances at English Days and Cultural Evenings.

Lishini says she wants to become a dance teacher when she grows up. Or possibly a cook, she adds giggling. These are the varied dreams of a little girl that can only takes wings with the support of SOS friends like you. As you can see, little girls like Lishini, who were once all alone in the world – are cared for and given a real home to belong to. It would be evident that Lishini’s life is similar to other little girls in families of Sri Lankan society. Help us give the same experiences to those children who have no one. When we give hope and love to one child, we affect our own society positively in the years to come.

Help us give the same experiences to those children who have no one. When we give hope and love to one child, we affect our own society positively in the years to come.