On her fourth birthday, Ruth Shama lay in a hospital bed, gravely ill and unresponsive. Diagnosed with meningitis, her survival seemed unlikely. “She looked nearly lifeless,” remembered Jamie, a former missionary with JiHM who visited her that day in 2015. “But we continued to pray.”

Against the odds, Ruth Shama recovered. Just weeks after walking out of the hospital, she was back in class at Grace Emmanuel School.

But her healing journey was far from over.

Within a few years, Ruth Shama began losing mobility on her right side. Seizures followed. Despite physical therapy and loving care, she never fully regained control of her right foot, right arm, or her speech. In many ways, her life has never been the same.

And yet—she has never given up.

Now a 7th grader at Grace Emmanuel School, Ruth Shama is a soft-spoken, determined teenager who has learned to write with her left hand, learned to walk again, and learned to persevere through challenges most of us can only imagine. She continues to carry the effects of brain damage from meningitis, but her spirit remains unshaken.

“I want to help kids like me,” she says with conviction. “That’s why I want to study nursing and maybe go into social work someday.”

What fuels that dream? In part, it’s the way she’s been treated by her teachers and classmates. “The way they support me at school helps me give more effort,” she says.

During the massacre in Source Matelas on April 19, 2023, Ruth Shama was eating lunch at school when gunfire erupted nearby. A staff member carried her on his back through a drainage canal in the school wall and then for several miles until she was safely in her mother’s arms.

Her mother still carries the weight of that day. “When she leaves for school now and hasn’t yet returned, my heart jumps. I always fear there’s been another attack and she can’t run.”

Her mom sells sandals to help support the family, while her dad—who has been in Chile since 2016—helps provide from afar. Together, they keep going, day by day, with faith that God will sustain them.

“My greatest dream is that God will heal Ruth Shama and use her to serve her community,” her mom says.

In many ways, He already is. Despite her disability, Ruth Shama excels in school. Her favorite Bible passage is Psalm 24, a reminder of the blessing found in seeking our strong and mighty God. She has not been baptized yet, but her faith is deep. “I believe God can still heal me,” she says. “And I want to testify to that someday.”

The steady support of her sponsor in New York, who has partnered with and prayed for Ruth-Shama for over a decade, also gives her courage. “He has supported me in my education despite my situation,” she said. “That gives me more strength to continue with my illness every day.”

Her story is a testimony to God’s power, the fierce love of a mother, the support of her community, and the quiet resilience of a young girl who refuses to be defined by her limitations.

It’s also a beautiful reminder of what your support makes possible.

Will you help us keep classrooms like Ruth Shama’s strong, safe, and full of hope? When you become a Classroom Champion for $25/month, you help ensure students like her receive not just an education—but the compassion, structure, and encouragement they need to persevere.

We’re honored to walk with students like Ruth Shama—and we’re grateful that you do too. Please pray for her continued strength and healing, for protection in the midst of violence, and for courage on hard days.