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Not sure if this is the correct forum or not -- but I am a college student and had really been thinking of a way I could help out, so I decided to sponsor a child in my favorite country I have traveled to, Colombia.
Just wondering if anybody has any experiences doing this?
I sponsored a child several years ago, she was from Kenya and unfortunately died aged 12 from malaria. I took a break then, but started again a couple of years ago. I sponsor a child for each of my kids now- so three in total, with Plan International. I chose kids of the same gender and similar ages to my kids, hoping that when they are older, they can communicate. I didn't choose specific countries, just "where the need is greatest", which ended up Kenya twice and South Korea once. They do encourage you to go see the kids (not pushy!), but not sure we'll ever do that due to having three kids of our own and the stress and financials of international travel.
I really enjoy getting the drawings from the kids, personal letters from the case worker and information about their culture, which I share with my kids. For their birthday and Christmas, we pick a present to send the sponsored child. I like Plan International because their finances are transparent and they use local workers, thus keeping more money in the affected countries. Also they help kids of many different nations and religions- I wanted my sponsorship to go where it was most needed, not to someone because they shared my religion. I write the sponsored child twice a year and send a photo. It can be difficult to know what to write as you need to keep the English simple, and there are some topics to stay away from such as politics, holidays (as the child is from different culture/ religion), and pets (as many cultures do not have pet). But I do recommend sponsoring- it gives you a closer bond, you know where your charity money is going.
We sponsor a child somewhere via "world vision". Letters are exchanged a few times a year.
I would second Penguin_ie in that it is hard to know what to write. By comparison, we have such priviledged, protected, safe lives with amazing opportunities. So once we don't write about our latest TV or computer or car or the wonderful house then there is not much left to write about. Hmm says something about our lives eh.
Totally insensitive and somewhat off topic, but a friend of mine in college used to keep a picture of a "Buckwheat" look-a-like up on his wall. Whenever anyone asked him what the picture was about, he would tell them it was the child he sponsors in Africa. I was amazed at how many people didn't see through his BS and it just became a running joke, complete with "benefits" held in the kids honor.
All joking aside, I think it is a noble and generous thing to do. The only thing I would caution is to carefully research the charity that you choose and see what the money really goes for. A lot of these "sponsor a child" programs have the bulk of the money going to administrative costs or paying for "religious education" long before a penny goes to actually feed anyone. You should also research the religious aspect as well as many of the charities are fronts for certain religious groups and they don't hand out the aid freely. Receiving aid from those organizations is often tied to attending religious services and schools sponsored by those organizations. The goal is to convert people, not feed them, the food is simply the draw to get them to listen. So, research it very carefully and make sure that you support an organization that shares your own ideals and that actually uses the money for the kids.
Another alternative may be to support aid organizations that are doing more generalized work like bringing clean water to villages or teaching advanced farming techniques, things that have a much broader impact on the societies these kids live in. You know, the old "teach a man to fish" parable.
A long time ago, a bunch of friends of mine did the Sponsor a Child thing from one of those commercials on TV. After they signed up, they each received the same child and would get copies of the same letter. I soured on those programs after that happened.
I prefer to help people in my own backyard. I understand that other countries need help but there are so many people in every area of the country that have nothing. Every year, I buy two large garbage bags full of toys: one bag of boys and one bag of girls. I bring them to a local church that has a Christmas party/dinner event for neighborhood poor families and they give presents to all the kids that come. I went to the dinner one year and was so moved by the sheer appreciation that these people had for being able to see their kids ripping open toys and smiling away at what they got.
There were no administrative costs to me and I knew exactly where my money went. It's the most fulfilling feeling in the world.
A long time ago, a bunch of friends of mine did the Sponsor a Child thing from one of those commercials on TV. After they signed up, they each received the same child and would get copies of the same letter. I soured on those programs after that happened.
I prefer to help people in my own backyard. I understand that other countries need help but there are so many people in every area of the country that have nothing. Every year, I buy two large garbage bags full of toys: one bag of boys and one bag of girls. I bring them to a local church that has a Christmas party/dinner event for neighborhood poor families and they give presents to all the kids that come. I went to the dinner one year and was so moved by the sheer appreciation that these people had for being able to see their kids ripping open toys and smiling away at what they got.
There were no administrative costs to me and I knew exactly where my money went. It's the most fulfilling feeling in the world.
I like this idea, but.. I think it is important for those of us who can to share our wealth with the truly poor in other countries.
I also find helping teachers very satisfying so I do donorschoose.org as well. You can find projects by state and city and/or by subject. The level of poverty is listed too, but some schools are not really poor. The districts are strapped for cash and cannot or will not fund some things. Teachers spend a lot of money on their classrooms (I know I did when I taught).
Not sure if this is the correct forum or not -- but I am a college student and had really been thinking of a way I could help out, so I decided to sponsor a child in my favorite country I have traveled to, Colombia.
Just wondering if anybody has any experiences doing this?
I've been paying for the studies of a few children around the globe. My favourite ones are in Palestine, actually a boy and a girl, both of whom are Arab christians and are naturally pummeled on either sides by two warring, psychopathic factions.
You need to have solid proof and legal documents, agreements to do this. Not just to make sure you are helping the right person, but also to ensure you are not unknowingly sewn into a children trafficking racket. There are some horrific stories out there. South/Latin American countries are champions in this field.
The two Palestinian kids write me letters from time to time. Both of them are cute and are about to enter adolescence, like early teens. Sometimes I find immense peace and pleasure in reading their letters filled with grammar errors, at least they are trying.
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