A journey from isolation & sadness to hope and resilience

When Andreea, 20, was a little girl, she often spent her days alone.

I met Andreea during my recent trip to Moldova, where she shared her story with me. She joined Mission Without Borders’ Child in Community sponsorship program when she was nine years old. Today, she has graduated from the program and is pursuing her dreams.

Andreea’s childhood was marked by poverty and instability. Both of her parents worked abroad, leaving her in the care of her grandmother. Andreea spent long days alone while her grandmother worked extended hours trying to provide for them. By the age of six or seven, Andreea already knew what it felt like to be isolated and forgotten.

“No child wanted to play with me,” Andreea recalls. “I didn’t know what hygiene or eating on time meant.”

Andreea found fast friends through Mission Without Borders programs, especially at summer camp.

Later, her father abandoned the family entirely. Her mother remained overseas for work, and eventually Andreea moved in with her aunt, who became her guardian.

It was during those difficult early years that Mission Without Borders first met Andreea through the Child in Community program.

At first, the support met practical needs such as food, hygiene products, and school supplies. But looking back, Andreea says some of her greatest needs were emotional and spiritual.

“I also needed social connection and relationships,” she says. “MWB helped me a lot in this area.”

She still remembers carefully writing Christmas cards to her sponsor each year, trying her best to draw neatly and write beautifully for someone she had never met, but knew cared about her.

That care mattered more than anyone may have realized.

One of the most meaningful parts of Andreea’s journey was attending Mission Without Borders’ Summer Camp program. For a child who often felt lonely and disconnected, camp became a place where she experienced friendship, encouragement, and belonging.

It was also there that Andreea received her very first Bible, a gift she still treasures and uses today.

During some of the most difficult seasons of her life, her faith became a source of strength and hope. The spiritual encouragement she received through Mission Without Borders helped her understand that she was not forgotten and that her life had value and purpose.

Andreea credits much of her growth to the steady encouragement she received over the years, including from her aunt, a disciplined and caring woman who pushed her to pursue excellence and believe she could build a different future.

Today, Andreea is in school while also working to support herself and continue her education. She is studying multimedia production, developing skills that will help her build a stable and meaningful career.

That opportunity would have been difficult without continued support from Mission Without Borders. An education scholarship has helped cover transportation costs and software tools needed for her studies, removing barriers that could have otherwise prevented her from continuing her education.

Andreea is motivated, focused, and determined to break the cycle of poverty that shaped her childhood.

Mission Without Borders helped plant seeds of hope through practical support, spiritual guidance, and the consistent presence of people who cared enough to walk alongside her.

Now, Andreea is giving back. The young girl who once felt invisible is now helping other children believe in themselves.

Andreea has found purpose and hope for her future.

She volunteers through Mission Without Borders programs, investing in younger children in her community who are facing many of the same struggles she once experienced herself. Through her encouragement and kindness, she is continuing a cycle of hope that began years ago when someone chose to support a lonely little girl in Moldova.

Today, some of Andreea’s closest friendships were formed through the Mission. The team became more than program workers to her. Oleg, one of the coordinators, became like an older brother or uncle figure in her life.

“You should see how active she is as a volunteer,” Oleg says. “At the (summer) camp, Andreea inspires and motivates other children to study well and invest in their development.”

Today, Andreea is a bright, confident young woman filled with purpose and hope.

When asked about her hopes for the future, she said:

“I want to be happy. I want to grow my faith and trust in God’s plan for my future. I want to build a family — to love and be loved.”

Her story is a reminder that partnering with children and families through Mission Without Borders is about far more than meeting immediate needs. It is about showing people living on the edge of poverty that they matter, that they are loved, and that their future can be different.

You can learn more about how Mission Without Borders partners with families and children in need through family and child partnership.