Safa, an 8-year-old Afghan girl, got a prosthetic leg and a doll thanks to donations from students at Grace Christian School in Stamford.

Photo Credit: Contributed Image

Safa had her leg blown off by a land mine. The 8-year-old hopes to become a doctor some day.

Photo Credit: Contributed Image

STAMFORD, Conn. — Spare change collected by students at Stamford’s Grace Christian School has put a smile back on the face of an 8-year-old Afghan girl who lost her leg to a land mine. The students raised over $2,000 to buy a prosthetic limb for the child, a Kabul City resident named Safa. 

The 3 ½-year fundraising effort not only provided a wonderful gift for Safa but was also a lesson in giving back for the pupils, said Chris DeSanctis, headmaster of Grace Christian School.

“She is smiling so much,” said DeSanctis, who described Safa as “a new young child” since she received her leg. 

Each Monday morning during chapel the students contributed to a collection for Safa's leg. “They have tried to bring in any loose change they can find,” the headmaster said. The kids eventually raised $2,016. 

DeSanctis said helping Safa meshed with the school's mission of trying to instill moral values in its students. “We don’t struggle as some might in Afghanistan,” he said.

Grace Christian School was put in contact with Safa and her family by the Children Against Mine Program, which works to raise awareness of the dangers of mines for kids and raise money to train land mine sniffing dogs, according to its website.

Betsy Parkinson of the Children Against Mine Program is also a friend of the school and brought the two together. The organization has come to the school with the dogs to teach the kids about the dangers of land mines.

Safa is now going to school and hopes to become a doctor, the release said. “We’ll keep supporting Safa as she grows,” DeSanctis said.