Sharing Hope with Refugees(难民)
The night before she had a test at school, eight-year-old Trisha Rao was worried. To give herself 1 , she wrote a poem about believing in herself. Her words gave her courage, and she 2 the test.
One day while listening to the news with her father, Trisha learned about the war in Syria. Conditions in the country were tough, and many people were leaving for safer regions. "I was 3 that they lost their homes and some of them lost their family," Trisha said. "They didn't have enough money to buy lunch even."
It made Trisha think. If the poem she had written the night before her test had given her 4 , maybe it could do the same for the refugee children.
Trisha worked on her poem and turned it into a book called Believe in Yourself. It's the story of a puppy named sunshine and his father, Papa Dog. The dogs travel around the jungle. From fellow animals, they learn 5 about persistence, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, courage, and kindness.
Trisha illustrated (加插图) the book, too. With the help of her mother and a family friend, she 6 the book in English and Arabic.
For a family vacation, Trisha asked 7 she and her family could go to Turkey. Many Syrian children who lost their homes in the war were living there now, and Trisha wanted to 8 their spirits up.
Her family got in touch with Support to Life, an agency that provides emergency relief after a disaster. 9 the group's assistance, Trisha was able to meet refugee children and read her book to them.
For every book she sells, Trisha gives away a free copy of Believe in Yourself to children around the world. Her purpose is simple but 10: "I hope it will give them hope and that they will learn many lessons from the book and believe in themselves."