Twelve Years Old with a Man’s Responsibilities

December 5, 2023
A boy in a red shirt is sitting on a bed.
Other Languages:

A small church building becomes a classroom for Georgy and others.

Village churches host the literacy classes and outreach we organize for children and families.

Story by IVAN IVANOV, MP BULGARIA

Georgy, twelve years old, has taken on a man’s responsibilities for his family without complaining.

Georgy from Bulgaria lost his father three years ago. We were privileged to teach this fine young man to read as he could not attend school due to the burden he carries at home. I met Georgy in the church of the Shivachevo slum village, where Mission Possible organizes reading classes. Our team distributed clothes to the children at the beginning of the school year.

“Do you go to school?” I asked Georgy.

The boy looked down.

“No. Since my father died, I’ve been looking after my mother and younger siblings. She can’t support us on her own, so I do yard work for people. I get paid a little money or with food. I don’t go to school, but here in the church, I learned to read and am happy about that.”