10 Dec 2020

The postman today delivered an annual report regarding our sponsor child.

We have sponsored a child on a developing country for many many years. It was probably one of the first major charity efforts we undertook when we got married, and we’ve kept with the same charitable group.

It obviously hasn’t been the same child. Over the past 35 years or so we have been allocated different children from different countries, and when they reach a certain age we get another one.

Our current child is an 11yo from Ethiopia. Quite frankly I eagerly read this report, because the one we got last year was much like every other report we have had regarding sponsor children apart from one aspect. There was the usual – I’m being assisted by receiving medication when I was sick, the toilets at my school have been improved, my parents received school supplies, and my family received farming supplies like seeds and tools. Excellent stuff, and everything I’d hope our sponsor money goes into providing.

The issue is that they gave a little personal information about the sponsor child.

They stated he (fairly sure it was a he, but not totally convinced) was 12cm tall.

I really hoped that by this year he’d had a growth spurt, but there wasn’t any more personally information included this time!

I’ll just have to wait until next year to find out.

Apart from faithfully paying the sponsor money, we really don’t have any more contact with our sponsor children. I am one of those people who isn’t convinced about whether a child in a country devastated by drought and disease wants to hear about the happy lives of a middle aged couple in another country. But maybe I’m wrong and this kid really wants to hear about my life. I’d have to downplay my gigantic height of 156cm though!

I know of other people who correspond, and even some who have actually visited their sponsor child!

Do you sponsor a child in a developing country? Have you made contact?

Or do you sit at home like me reading their annual blurb, worrying about their height?