Bring V Home

With his megawatt smile and endless dance moves, nine-year-old V won the hearts of students and staff at his Sioux City, Iowa, elementary school. He is the epitome of Mr. Personality with a bit of mischievousness, a kid who brightens the room without saying a word – or breaking out in dance. He was even featured as part of the school’s 5 Days of Joy campaign in December 2021.

V’s personality isn’t his only superpower. He is also smart, the kind of child that is destined to go places. V didn’t speak any English when he entered first grade. By the 2021-2022 school year, he was fluent in English. Without knowing his background, you would never guess that V wasn’t born in the United States. Over the last three years, he worked hard at school. In turn, his teachers and staff at his school were extremely dedicated to him. It takes a special child to stand out in a school with many high achievers. V is that student.

In mid-April 2022, V suddenly stopped attending school. No one knew where he went or when he would return. Despite efforts to locate him, there were no concrete answers on when his friends and teachers would see him again. Months passed, and his school community worried they may never see him.

One day in August 2022, his school received a concerning message out of the blue from someone who said that V had been intentionally abandoned thousands of miles away from Sioux City. V was safe but was desperate to return to his home and school. V was left on the side of a road, and a good Samaritan, who had been orphaned himself, found V and gave him a place to stay. Most importantly, he vowed to help V return to the place he loves – his home and school in Sioux City, a world away.

Amazingly, V and the gentleman that took him in saved up enough money to purchase a cheap phone so they could make contact with V’s school. Over the last couple of months, a group of people who care about V – including a favorite educator of his - have been trying to figure out a way for V to return home. Countless messages, photos, and video chats have allowed the school to keep in contact with V. Many of the video chats end with a simple, yet heartbreaking question from V: “When are you coming to get me?”

Running into constant obstacles because of technology, paperwork, laws, and more hurdles, it has felt hopeless at times and difficult to stay positive about how to get V home. Last week, V was hospitalized with malaria. Because of poor living conditions, V was also extremely malnourished. The dangerous living conditions that V is currently in make it imperative that he returns to Sioux City as soon as possible.

In the last few days, another group of local angels stepped in to help. Because of their collaboration, V now has the paperwork he needs to return home. There is also a family ready to provide him with the love and support he needs. The only thing standing in the way of V’s journey home is the funds necessary to cover the cost of travel expenses and the cost of medical care once he returns. Months without proper nutrition and the trauma of his ordeal have taken their toll on nine-year-old V. His once vibrant smile is a little dimmer because of his experience.

There are many children that need help in Sioux City and across the world. We ask for your generosity to save one of these kids – a boy that goes to sleep at night, not dreaming about the latest video game or a new toy, but praying about returning to his fourth-grade classroom and his home in Iowa.

Please Note: Any money raised beyond the initial fundraising goal will go directly to V’s ongoing care and needs once he returns home as well as a savings account for him to use for college.