Albina was just 7 years old when her grandparents died in a house fire.

Just a few years earlier, her mom and dad both died, as well. With the only caregivers she had ever known now gone, she moved nearly six hours away to live with her uncle.

Albina’s uncle was committed to her well-being, but struggled to afford local school fees. For the next six years, she did everything she could—including odd jobs around the community—to collect money for her books and supplies.

According to UNICEF, the majority of Zambia’s population is under age 18, and nearly 55% live below the national poverty line.

Sadly, girls like Albina face the steepest challenges. By age 18, 30% of girls are pressured into early child marriages, and one out of every three falls victim to physical violence.

Education is the first line of defense.

Specifically, it helps protect children from abuse or child marriage.

So when a neighbor told Albina about a tuition-free school near her home—Lifesong School—her uncle didn’t hesitate. He registered her immediately. Albina began Grade 8 in 2015 and moved into the Student Life Homes on campus the following year.

In the last few years, Albina has found a good group of friends, and discovered a love for auto mechanics in the Lifesong Vocational Training Center. So she’s gaining practical job skills that will help her find a good job and provide for herself in the future.

She would love to become a mechanical engineer in the military.

But even more than that, she shares—

I want to help the poor, the widows, the orphans. Lifesong is helping me become the person I want to be. The way Lifesong is helping me is the same way I want to help others.

Your gifts create opportunities for young women like Albina, for whom God is writing an amazing story of redemption.