Part of my Heart is in Child Sponsorship

I just became a World Vision Child Sponsor Ambassador for New Jersey a couple of weeks ago, and am truly excited about it! I have been talking to people about the sponsorship program that World Vision does, and have a few specific children that I have been working on gaining sponsorship for.  It isn't as easy as it sounds. I know too many lower/middle class people who live paycheck to paycheck, which makes the task a challenge.  Thankfully I have been given the opportunity to share about how amazing they are right here on my blog, in hopes that readers would be willing to learn more about becoming a sponsor themselves!

World Vision is a Christian based organization that strives to help children, families, & communities out of poverty & injustice around the world (about 100 counties, working with 100 million families) in order to shine a light of Jesus to them through His love!  Many families struggle with providing for their family, food & water needs, medical issues, disaster emergencies, AIDS/HIV, educational needs, and oppression. World Vision works to lift those burdens from their lives.

As an example, I want to share my own experiences as a Child Sponsor. For years I had hoped to sponsor a child from World Vision (since I was a teenager). When Rob and I felt more financially secure ourselves (where would could actually afford our own bills), I was searching through World Vision specifically for teen girls from India. Those of you who have been to my blog may have seen I have a heart for victims of human trafficking (and I wore many outfits last year while making posts dedicated to tackling and speaking out on the oppression of slavery).  Human trafficking is pretty bad in India, and many young girls usually around the age of 11 and up (some younger) get put into bondage through sexual exploitation and prostitution.  I wanted to help a girl from India who came from an AIDS community, because that could mean there are red light districts in that area.  There was a smiling girl named Rajiya who was 14 (which is rare when you look through the pictures on WV, because they have such difficult lives and are in desperate need). I was looking at her smile and wanted to keep that smile on her face forever. I did not want to see it destroyed, considering what life usually means for a young girl in India.  Females are not important other than for birthing boys throughout the land, and many of the girls are left to die and are a bit "useless" to many families.

[This is one of Rajiya's letters, don't worry, they had it translated for me.  Also that is one of the photos we have of her]

After writing back and forth to Rajiya for two years (learning about life for her, what she liked to do, what her chores were, and how excited she always was to receive our letters and show her friends and family), her family had enough money to provide for her needs and she was even starting to write to me in English! It was so cool seeing a bit of a transformation. Because her family was doing so much better, World Vision considered her a graduate of the program and gave me a new child to sponsor from the same community in her place who is also a teenager named Sreedevi. I was a little sad because I grew an attachment to Rajiya, but I now can begin learning about Sreedevi!!

[Sreedevi wrote a lovely letter and drew a picture of a bus, which was really great!]

In case you are wondering the cost for sponsorship; you will be sending $35 a month for your child (which in a way can expand considering how little things cost in third world countries). This not only provides for your child, but for their family and also helps build a better community through the love you are showing to that child.  You will receive a packet of information on the child as well as a headquarter's address for your child in which you can write to them.  Throughout the year you may receive a few things from World Vision that are activity cards.  You can write little notes to your child in that card, send it to the US headquarters, and then you have an option of donating $5 to help with delivery costs to whichever country your child lives in.  They do often times deliver these cards during school, in which the child delights in receiving it.  You may also send emails (though they can't email you back) and letters, as well as a list of safe things you can mail to them in a 6x9" envelope (like colored pencils, notepads, stickers, hair ribbons).  You can also give your child a birthday party once a year!

In the past I posted a picture of drawings my own sons had sent to Rajiya. They ask me questions about India and have learned bits and pieces (that a 3 and 5 year old can comprehend). It has really been fun because they sometimes choose to pray for our sponsored child during dinner or bedtime, as well as for the people in the whole country and for God to help provide food, water, and toys for them.  They come up with this all on their own.

If you are interested in becoming a child sponsor, please click on one of the links throughout this post, (because it contains my ambassador referral code).  Also I added a sponsorship button to my blog! Through the link you can choose a child from whichever country you might have a heart for (or even a random one for them to choose for you who has a need), you can choose age groups as well as a boy or a girl.  The child's information will be available to you whenever you want to double check on their info, as well as tips and info on any questions you might have on their website.  Feel free to ask me questions too!  If I know you in person, PLEASE talk to me face to face because I have 5 children who long for sponsors, and I would like to find people to sponsor them by August!  May you have an exciting journey as a sponsor! You have no idea what an impact you might have on them!