Monday, November 17, 2014

Welcome Bhuvana!

I just realized I never posted a picture of Bhuvana, the little girl I sponsor through United with Hope.  When I received word that Jayaprakash was leaving the program, I chose to sponsor  Bhuvana.  Isn't she adorable?


Monday, October 20, 2014

Goodbye Jayaprakash

I received sad news yesterday, as my newest sponsored child, Jayaprakash, is leaving the program due to school and family commitments.  I sponsored Jayaprakash through United With Hope, which runs an after school tutoring program.  The children are helped with their school work (tutoring is a big thing in India), and given an evening meal.

The good news is, there are three girls who are waiting for a sponsor through this program.  I have asked to sponsor one of those girls now that Jayaprakash has left.  Once I get confirmation, I will share her picture here!

Friday, October 17, 2014

Thank you from Barsha!

I received a response about the gift I sent to Barsha, my child in India sponsored through Children International!  
Here's what was purchased:
2 sets of clothing for Barsha, 2 sets of clothing for her siblings, 1 sari for her mother, 1 box of health drinks for Barsha, many grocery items for the family.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Another letter from Willy!

Wow, I just mentioned how I was expecting another letter from Willy relatively soon, and one arrived in the mail today!
This makes 10 letters received from Willy in less than 14 months of sponsorship!  I am so impressed with how correspondence has been going with the Simbi ADP in Rwanda through World Vision.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Willy's 2014 Progress Report


This is sweet Willy, my very best writer, from Simbi ADP in Rwanda.  Willy is 4 years old, and apparently now has a younger brother, who he helps babysit.  Willy does not attend school yet, so his progress report did not have as much information in it.  When Willy grows up, he would like to be a driver.  His community grows lots of beans, and his favorite food is rice.  They eat meat on special days like Christmas day.  Willy helps at home by fetching water and babysitting, and his bedtime is 8:30pm.
My last letter from Willy arrived on August 13, so I am expecting another one any day now!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Alphonsine's 2014 Progress Report


This is the cute photo that accompanied Alphonsine's 2014 progress report.  I love it because she is wearing the dress she purchased with gift money I sent at the end of 2013!  
Having never received a progress report from World Vision before, I had no idea what to expect.  It's meant to be a cute design, but it's a lot of information spread out over a huge piece of paper that is folded up.  This blog post is really helping ME get all of the information together in a nice, organized list ;-)
Alphonsine will turn 5 on October 2 this year.
Alphonsine is in nursery school, and she goes to school at 8:00am by foot.  School is about 1/2 km from her house.  She is in school from 8:00am until 11:00am, and her best subject is English.  Alphonsine wants to be a teacher when she grows up.
For lunch and dinner, Alphonsine eats sweet potatoes.  Her favorite food is rice, and her community grows a lot of beans.  On special days like Christmas, they eat rice and beans together.
Alphonsine likes to sing and play with friends at school.  She helps at home by fetching water for her Grandmother.
I haven't received a letter from Alphonsine since June 12, so I am hoping one is on the way to me.  I believe I can place an inquiry on October 12, which isn't that far away!  This has been the longest stretch without a letter from Alphonsine during my entire sponsorship of her.

I love surprise photo updates!

One of my favorite things about Children International is that you never know when you might get to see a surprise photo update of your sponsored child!  Photos update every year as a rule, but 2 of my 3 CI kids have had photos update in the past few months, well before the one year mark.  I love it!  I'm realizing that, for me, photos are very important and a great way to help me feel connected to the little ones who don't have a ton to say in their letters.

Here is Ruerhene's adorable new photo!


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

School has started, and I've received 3 annual progress reports!

Things have been crazy at home lately with school starting, but I have received annual progress reports for 3 of my World Vision kids.  Alphonsine, Willy, and Marina's progress reports have arrived in the mail, and I will post about them as soon as I scan in their new photos!

In the meantime, here is a pic of my 3 beans on their way to their first day of school!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Happy Birthday to C!



I need to take a time out from sponsor kids to wish my youngest, C, a happy 4th birthday!  These pics are from earlier this week when he earned his little dragon's orange belt at taekwondo.  He broke a board with a roundhouse kick and was so proud of himself!  Normally, kids his age use a front kick or a hammerfist, but he decided to be an overachiever!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Just heard back from my gift to Ruerhene!

I've been SO pleased with Children International.  Much like World Vision, the time to hear back after you give a monetary gift to your sponsored child is very reasonable!
I sent Ruerhene and her family a monetary gift on July 7, and as of yesterday, August 25, I had a thank you note written by Ruerhene's Grandmother, 3 pictures, and a full typed report of what was purchased, along with the project worker's notes about the family's reaction.  So far, this has been the most detailed and complete report/thank you I've received from any sponsorship organization.
Here is my super cute Ruerhene along with all of the items purchased with my gift to her:



The official report let me know that Ruerhene and her family were able to purchase the following:
  • 8 blouse/shorts/underwear for Ruerhene
  • 1 pair of shoes for Ruerhene
  • 1 bag for Ruerhene
  • 2 slippers for family members (I am assuming those are the flip flops)
  • 38 assorted food supplies
  • 12 hygiene and laundry items
  • 2 transportation
This is a community where 85% of a family's average monthly income is typically spent on food.  Food prices continue to rise, but incomes remain low.  Add to that, the monthly income for Ruerhene's family is much lower than the average for the community.  So, I was very pleased that they were able to purchase so much food!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

A year into sponsorship with World Vision

I am one year into sponsorship with World Vision, as I started sponsoring Willy and Alphonsine on August 22, 2013.
Overall, I've been pleased with World Vision.  Right now, there seems to be a letter drought, but I have confidence letters will pick up because of how consistent letters were back at the beginning of my sponsorship.
Willy, who is now 4 years old, has been my very best letter writer, across all organizations.  Over the past year, I have received 9 letters from him, and 2 extra photos.  I also have received his updated yearly photo.
Alphonsine is actually my next best letter writer, and I received 7 letters from her, along with SEVEN extra photos!!  I love how many photos I receive from her ADP.  It's awesome to see her with my letters, see her at school, and of course, with the items she and her Grandmother purchased with money I've sent.
Marina, who I have been sponsoring for 9 months, has sent me 5 letters, and I've also received her yearly updated photo and another photo, and 1 extra photo of her with gifts purchased with money I've sent.  Marina's letters are pretty short, and often say the same thing over and over again, but I am hoping they will become more personal as time passes.
I am still awaiting first letters from Saw Ler and Fedila, as I just started sponsoring them in June of this year.

I've really been enjoying my sponsorships with World Vision.  I believe in the work they are doing, and have confidence that they are making communities better.  Even with the recent slow down in letters, I am still receiving more letters than I was while sponsoring through Compassion, so I can't really complain.  I don't send packages directly to the children that often (about 1-2/year for each child), but I LOVE that it's an option for me.
I also like that World Vision sends me cards throughout the year to sign and send to my sponsored children.  It's a nice extra, and helps when I am feeling like I have nothing to write to my child--I still know they will be receiving something from me.
While I don't plan on adding anymore World Vision children right now (I'm happily exploring other organizations), I am still very pleased with them, and I would not be opposed to adding new WV kids in the future.  I am looking forward to having long term sponsorships with my 5 WV kids.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Say Hello to Jaiprakash!



Meet my newest sponsored child, Jaiprakash, who is sponsored through United With Hope.  I have wanted to sponsor with them for a very long time, and finally got around to asking about it.  
Jaiprakash is part of a tutoring and feeding program through UWH, and I have already seen more pictures of him than any of my other sponsored children.  We receive TONS of pictures, and I love it!  I love the little smirk on his face, and I also love pictures like this:
My Jaiprakash is the one with the big laugh, 2nd from the right, in the shorts.  Love it!  
He seems like a boy who is full of laughter.
Jaiprakash is 9 years old.  His father is a carpenter, and his mother is a homemaker.


Thursday, August 21, 2014

2 letters and a new photo update from Barsha!

I just started sponsoring precious Barsha at the end of June through Children International, and I've already received 2 letters from her as well as this cute photo update!  I thought for sure I'd already posted this photo update to the blog, but it must have slipped through the cracks!
The photo update was really a great surprise, as they are only supposed to get a photo update once a year, and Barsha's last picture was taken in February 2014.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Meet John!

Meet John!  John is my newest sponsored child through Children International.  He is 6 1/2 years old and lives in the Philippines with his mom, dad, and 3 siblings.  John is from the Tabaco community, which seems very different from Quezon City (where my Ruerhene is from), and I am excited to learn more about both communities, as I have high hopes for visiting the Philippines in the future.  
His family cooks over an open fire, and their roof is made out of palm leaves.  Electricity is available in his community, but his family cannot afford it, as their monthly income is only $34 (very low for that area).  Their water source is a community well, so no running water in the home, either, but I am thankful that there is a community well.

Monday, August 4, 2014

What a difference!


After ending my sponsorships with Compassion because of their horrific customer service and inability to deliver on their promises to sponsors, it was so refreshing to see THIS in my email this morning.
What a novel idea (insert sarcasm here)--creating a survey to ask sponsors how you're doing!  Imagine the results if Compassion would do such a thing!  My guess is Compassion isn't doing it because they want to continue to play dumb about all of the dissatisfaction among their sponsors and projects that aren't following the correspondence guidelines.
I've only been sponsoring through Children International for 3 months, but this email, asking for my input in a survey format, with boxes for typed explanations on my answers if I wanted to give additional details made me feel valued and heard as a sponsor.  I did have some suggestions for Children International, but it mainly had to do with their website, not with their actual sponsorship program.
Children International is $10 less each month for a sponsorship than Compassion is, yet sponsors get high quality photos printed on photo paper, an online community just for Children International sponsors that is pretty busy, and has CI staff that regularly comment on questions asked, detailed family reports, and from what I've been hearing from other sponsors, just as many or more letters as sponsors receive through Compassion.  The children also get things like dental care, medical care, school supplies, etc.
I think, personally, I am more comfortable with models like Children International, because they do not partner with local churches.  Instead, they set up centers themselves, and I imagine it's much easier to oversee everything, and ensure that each community is following guidelines.  I wonder if sponsors ever hear of community centers being closed because of misappropriated funds?  My guess is no, unlike with Compassion.

Monday, July 28, 2014

A year into sponsorship with Compassion

It's been about a year since I decided to start sponsoring again with Compassion International.  So, where am I, a year into sponsoring?
I have zero Compassion kids.
Last week, I made the decision to end my partnership with Compassion, and funnel money toward other organizations that I was happy with.  This decision was not made lightly.  I thought about it after I received a "thank you" letter from Vincent, my little guy in Togo, that simply said "Thank you for the gift."  Um, it was a $100 family gift.  Maybe not a lot to Compassion, but Compassion's policies are clear.  Any gift in any amount entitles the sponsor to ask what was purchased with the gift money.  And, any gift over $60, entitles the sponsor to a picture of the child with said items.  So, I emailed Compassion to ask that an inquiry be put in for this gift.  This was the response I received initially:
"You are welcome to write back to Vincent and ask what he and his family purchased with the money you sent. It may take just as long for us to request the information from the field staff as it would to get a letter back from Vincent."

Wow. So I was supposed to write back to a 5 year old and ask him what he purchased with the $100 instead of Compassion asking the center to do its job? After an online rant on the "get satisfaction" part of Compassion's website, they did change their tune and agreed to put in an inquiry for me, but intimated that this was above and beyond what they should be doing in their response on that site.

Having had enough, I figured I'd tally up all of my inquiries and also count up how many inquires I'd asked for that I received pushback on from Compassion's customer service department.

I didn't count the 2 gifts I'd just submitted for 2 children's September birthdays. I tallied up everything else. I'd given 6 extra financial gifts in total. Of those gifts, I had to place 4 inquiries because I either hadn't heard anything after 6 months or I received a very generic "Thank you for the gifts". Of those 4 inquiries placed, I received pushback from Compassion's customer service department on 3 of them. Now, one of those financial gifts was for a correspondence child who I released almost exactly 6 months after I sent the gift. I still had not received a thank you for that gift from him, and that would have resulted in another inquiry had I not released all of my correspondence children. I did receive a letter from that child about a week before I released all of my correspondence children, and there was no mention of the gift in the letter. So really, it would have been 5 inquiries out of 6 financial gifts sent. Does that seem right or fair? Does that seem like Compassion is working to keep its word to sponsors? And, of those inquiries placed, I was initially told by Compassion staff that I could NOT place the inquiry on 3 of those inquiries.

And, let's be clear. I was not asking for anything Compassion hadn't promised its sponsors. I never asked for an inquiry to be placed before the 6 month mark. I wasn't demanding pictures for a $30 birthday gift. I was simply asking Compassion to follow its own guidelines.

During the past year, I also had to place 2 inquiries for kids who hadn't written in 6 months. Again, I received pushback from Compassion's staff on one of those inquiries. The staff member suggested I write to a 5 year old and ask her to write to me more. As if I don't put "I'm so excited to hear from you" in every letter I write to every child.

Compassion promises 6 letters per year to every sponsor, provided the sponsor is writing at least every other month. I've faithfully written once a month (or more) for the past year. My letter count for my kids I've had for about a year was as follows: Nayan wrote 6 letters, but one was the result of a gift inquiry. Archita wrote 4 letters. Vincent wrote 4 letters. Yeferson, who I had for 7 months, wrote 2 letters. Does anyone really think I would have received 4 letters in 5 months from him? It's clear to me and to most other Compassion sponsors that there is a huge problem with Compassion's correspondence. However, instead of customer service being understanding, and admitting "Yes, we are aware this is a problem, and we are working on it. We will submit this inquiry right away", they are giving sponsors pushback. Telling sponsors to wait 8 months after a gift has been received to get a response before they will submit an inquiry. Telling sponsors to simply "ask your child to write more" instead of submitting an inquiry.

I understand problems can arise in sponsorship programs, but the way Compassion has been handling their issues really makes me uncomfortable sending my money to them.




To compare, I've also had 2 World Vision kids for about a year (a couple weeks less than I've had my Compassion kids), and I've received 7 letters from Alphonsine and 8 letters from Willy. Marina, who I've had for 8 months, I've received 5 letters from. Heck, I've already received 2 letters from one of my Children International kids who I've only been sponsoring for 2 1/2 months! Also, with every gift I've sent to kids in other organizations, I've received a response well before 6 months, and it's always a detailed response, with a picture.

Based on all of that, and taking into consideration other sponsors' accounts of how Compassion has been dealing with them, I reluctantly decided to end all sponsorships with Compassion. It just didn't make sense to continue sending money to an organization that I had to fight with every time I sent a gift, and every time I didn't hear from my sponsored kids. And, amazingly, I felt so settled once I made that decision and sent that letter off to Compassion via email. In true Compassion form, I haven't heard anything back from them, and all my kids are still on my account as of this morning when the email I sent cancelling was on Thursday at 1pm, Colorado time.


Saturday, July 19, 2014

Letters from Kenya!

This week I received letters from my plant a book kids, who I guess I have to start calling my His Hands Support Ministries kids or my Galilee kids, etc.  HHSM is a mouthful!
Early in the week, I went ahead and set up my recurring sponsorship payments for my 2 girls, Elizabeth at Galilee Primary School, and Naomi at Waddington High School.  Once I got their letters, I was so happy that I decided to give HHSM a try.
Elizabeth wrote me 2 letters, and in one, she wrote "I love you so much, that I don't want to hear that you are hurt".  SO SWEET.
Naomi, who is 16, wrote me 5 full notebook pages!!  She also enclosed another page with a drawing and explanation of Kenya's flag.  I loved reading all of Naomi's writings.  She enjoys swimming, reading, and traveling, and hangs out with friends on her breaks from school.
I am so glad I went out of my comfort zone to sponsor an older student.  I already feel very connected to Naomi as I've gotten so much information from her letters.
I've written response letters to both girls so far, but I'm waiting to mail them out.  School is closed for a portion of August, so I want to wait until I know they will be there to receive them.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Awesome letter haul day!

Today, I received 3 letters in the mail!  That's pretty much the most letters I've ever received in one day.  You'd think, with as many children as I sponsor, that I'd have days where more letters have been received, but nope, 3 is the high.
Anyway, I received TWO letters from this cute, Ruerhene, my Children International child in the Philippines.
Both letters were written by her mother, Catherine.  The first thanked me for sponsoring Ruerhene, and gave me some general information about her.  She is in kindergarten at the local public elementary school, and she likes to sing and dance and play with Barbies.  The second letter thanked me for my letter, and commented on it, which was nice.  I often wonder if some of my other sponsored children even read the letters I write.  I'm excited that Ruerhene's mother is the one writing.  I get the best letters from Willy, my sponsored boy in Rwanda (through World Vision), and I suspect it is also because his mother writes the letters.  I'm looking forward to a great letter writing relationship with Ruerhene!

I also received one letter from this little guy, Yeferson, my Compassion child in Guatemala.
It was the "When I grow up" template.  Yeferson wants to be a doctor when he grows up to heal his mother.  So sweet!  He also had a cough, and needed to go to the hospital!  I will have to ask Compassion if everything is alright with his family.  I hope his mother's illness, and his illness are not serious.

Rethinking cancelling my plant a book kids

I've been thinking a lot about my decision to cancel my Plant A Book kids (Elizabeth, Naomi, and Reagan) due to my nervousness about the changeover from Plant a Book to His Hands Support Ministries.  I really feel a connection to Elizabeth and Naomi, and the fees are not expensive.

Last night, I think I came to a partial decision.  There are only 6 more payments left in 2014.  So, for Elizabeth, since she is at the primary school, that would be $12.50*6, so $75.  Not a ton of money.  Now, Naomi is at the high school, so her sponsorship is $20 each month, so to finish out the year for Naomi would cost $120.  Not super expensive, either.  Reagan is part of a group sponsorship, and to finish his year out, would only cost another $12.50, which is nothing.
So I've kind of decided that I should finish out 2014 with these kids, and then, in December, make the decision based on how I feel the last 6 months of sponsorship went.  If I end up unhappy, I will have time to say goodbye to my kids and let them know what is going on, and it will have cost me $207.  I think I am willing to risk that money, even with the bad reviews that this woman has received on how she handled the sponsorship program years ago.
So, I'm heavily leaning toward that decision for now.  Unless I get other information that sways me to cancel, I will likely follow through with these sponsorships for the remainder of 2014, and then make my decision.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Changes, changes!

Well, I made the decision to release my 4 correspondent kids through Compassion.  It honestly was not making any sense for me to keep them.  I wasn't hearing from them, and I dreaded writing to them.  There was no relationship there, not even with the 2 I had since September.
So what this means is that now I have 4 fewer kids to write to, so if I want to pick up more sponsorships, I can do so without worrying about how many kids I am writing to.

Also, I received the news that Plant a Book is shutting down its sponsorship program, and transferring all sponsorships to His Hands Support Ministries.  There are numerous reasons I don't support this.  The person put in charge of the sponsorship program has a horrible history with running sponsorship programs, and the new organization that graciously accepted the responsibility of taking over the sponsorship program seems way too large and spread too thin, as it is run strictly by volunteers.  It makes me nervous, and I can't send money to an organization that makes me nervous about the way they run things.  It's sad, as I really felt a connection to Elizabeth, and was starting to feel a connection to Naomi, my older girl.  Of course, that also means I will have to withdraw my participation in the group sponsorship of Reagan, a boy 4 of us were sponsoring through Plant a Book.

In other news, I have been hearing frequently from my 2 kids in East India through Compassion.  I am so pleased that their correspondence has picked up, I really feel as though I am getting to know them!

Friday, June 20, 2014

Bursting at the seams!

With a couple kids dropped or graduated from sponsorship programs, and more than a couple kids I've picked up over the last 3 months, it was time to expand my sponsorship binder into 2.
Previously, I had one 3-ring binder for all of my sponsor kids from all organizations, with their pictures, info, and all letters I've received.
However, it just isn't going to work long term, or even now, with the number of children I have to write to.
Since I now have the most children through World Vision, and I get a ton of letters from WV kids, I've given World Vision its own binder.


You'll notice my 2 "new" blurred out faces.  I've sponsored 2 additional children through World Vision in the past month.  A 7 year old boy from Myanmar, and a 4 year old girl from Ethiopia.  Unfortunately, I am unable to show their faces online due to their country's privacy restrictions.

Anyway, I felt like a school kid again as I made that cover sheet for my binder.  I cut out their pictures with scissors, glued them to the card stock, and slid the sheet into my binder.  It was kind of fun, and I love organizing.
For now, the rest of my sponsorships will have to go into my other binder.  This means 8 Compassion kids, 2 Plant-a-book kids, and 1 Children International child will share a binder. We'll see if that ever has to change.  

Thursday, June 5, 2014

What is the point?

I'm starting to wonder what the point is of Compassion's correspondence program.  I've had 2 correspondence kids since mid-September 2013, and I've received exactly 1 letter from each of them, despite writing every 3-5 weeks to them.  I've had my other 2 correspondence kids since the beginning of January, and I've only heard from one of them.  In 3 days, I will be putting in another inquiry on Juan, my Colombian correspondence child who I haven't heard from at all in 6 months.
I'm also at the point where I want to sponsor another child with another organization, but I feel as though I already have too many kids to write to.  There is a huge part of me that wants to drop all 4 of my correspondence kids through Compassion.  Let someone who has more time write to them, and that frees up some of my letter writing time to sponsor another child.
But, I also think, why not just decrease the number of letters I write to my correspondence kids?  Do I really need to write to them monthly when it appears as though I'll be hearing from them 1 or 2 times a year?  Could I drop it to every other month, or the program's minimum requirement, which is 3 letters a year?
I do feel badly, because I willingly signed up for the correspondence program, having very fond memories of it from back in 2010.  Some of my correspondence kids were my best writers.  Now, it seems, as with all Compassion kids, letters are few and far between, but I still feel obligated to write regularly to them, and thus cannot take on another sponsorship at this time.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Meet Ruerhene!

This little beauty is 4 year old Ruerhene, from the Philippines.  She is my first sponsored child through Children International.  I decided to give them a try after dropping one of my Compassion sponsorships.  I've heard many good things about Children International, and they are a bit cheaper per month than Compassion.
Ruerhene will turn 5 years old on June 15.  She lives with her unemployed mother and has no siblings.
They live in a concrete block home with a corrugated metal roof.  She has no bed, but instead sleeps on a mat on the floor.  Electricity is available in their community, but it is not affordable for her family.  Their water source is a neighbor's faucet.
I am thrilled with the level of detail you get from Children International about the specific living conditions of your sponsored child.  It's one thing to know the average income for the community, and what most houses are constructed from, but it's another thing entirely to know all those specifics of your sponsored child and his/her family.

Surprise photo!


A while back, I had to put in an inquiry about a birthday gift I'd sent in September to Vincent, my sponsored boy in Togo through Compassion.  This was just one inquiry in a long line of inquiries that left me quite unhappy with my Compassion experience.
So you can imagine my surprise when I received an email back from Compassion with the listing of what was purchased as well as a photo of Vincent with the items!
Vincent was able to purchase a pair of shoes, clothing, maize, a bowl of beans, rice, vegetable oil, and a 1.5 liter can with just $30!
I also recently received 2 letters from Vincent, so I am hoping that correspondence with him will pick up during the remainder of 2014.


Thursday, May 8, 2014

And, I just placed another inquiry

It's hard to believe, but I just placed ANOTHER inquiry with Compassion.  This inquiry is concerning my first correspondence child, Jorge, from Ecuador.  As I was getting my May letters together tonight, I realized I hadn't heard from him since October 2013, so over 6 months ago.
At this point, I've placed inquiries on 4 children, with 1 of them having more than one inquiry.  Two other children had letters arrive DAYS before I was due to place an inquiry.  Other kids haven't been sponsored long enough to have an inquiry placed.

I am so looking forward to hearing from Jorge.  His first letter to me was very warm and open, and he seemed like he had lots to say.  I've heard letters from Ecuador are not that steady, but I placed the inquiry, anyway.  If Compassion doesn't know about it, we can't really complain, can we?  I'd rather let them know every time centers are not complying with their guidelines.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Dropping a Compassion child

After a lot of praying and thinking, I've decided to discontinue my sponsorship of Sabnam, my little one from East India.
I've sponsored her for 9 months, and have not received even one letter that she's had any input into written during these 9 months.  Just the generic first letter written months before I sponsored her, and a listing of what she bought with birthday gift money written by the project director.
I have an inquiry out on her that I fought with Compassion to get placed because of the lack of letters and lack of information, but I'm not going to wait to hear the result.  I suspect she is no longer attending the project, as I'm sure the project has written some form letters during the past 9 months that got sent to sponsors.

I am sad, and frustrated with Compassion overall.  I'm frustrated that they're not keeping their word about sponsors hearing from their kids every 2ish months.  I'm sad that there could be a little girl who is going to lose a sponsor because her project can't get it together and Compassion isn't willing to enforce its rules.  I'm perturbed that the customer service reps at Compassion argue with me every time I request an inquiry on a child.

I know Compassion is doing great things, but so are many other organizations that don't have all of these problems with correspondence and customer service.  And, yes, the fact that Compassion doesn't seem interested in keeping their word does make me question the integrity of their organization.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Feeling more motivated to write!

I think my letter drought is officially over (fingers crossed).  I received 2 letters from Vincent in Togo this past week (unfortunately, I still needed to do the inquiry about the gift, because he didn't mention what was purchased with the gift in either letter), another letter from Nayan in East India today, and my 7th letter from Willy in Rwanda as well as more pictures of Alphonsine in Rwanda!

As the letters start rolling in again, it's easier to be more motivated to write to the kids.  I have to admit, I was really feeling less than motivated about writing monthly to all of my sponsor kids.  I wondered if I had too many, and was starting to DREAD letter writing.  Ugh.
I made the decision to send off online letters to my Compassion and World Vision kids for the month of April (I still sent off hard copies to my plant a book kids), and I started formatting some "form" letters of my own.
May's letters will be about where I live, and June's letters will be about what a typical day is like in my house.  I also printed off a list of questions to ask my sponsored children.
All of that has me much more motivated to write to my kids again!

I also put in an inquiry about Sabnam, my girl from East India.  I've been sponsoring her since August 2013, and have not received 1 letter that she had any input in to during my sponsorship of her.  The 1st letter was the pre-written letter, and the 2nd was a list of what she purchased with the birthday gift money I sent her--no info about how she was doing, no drawing, nothing.  And this was after I put in the inquiry about that gift.  After some initial resistance, Compassion agreed to do an inquiry for me, because I am kind of wondering if she is even still attending the project.
I am still thinking about just dropping her without even waiting to see what the results of the inquiry are.  I mean, unless they tell me she is longer at the project, do I want to spend another 6-8 months getting 1 letter from her that gives no information?  Of course, letters from Nayan in East India have been picking up, and that also makes me wonder if letters from Sabnam will start picking up, as well.

Speaking of Nayan, his photo updated recently!
He still looks worried, but so much older!  And more well nourished :-)

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Another Compassion inquiry

Today, I sent off another Compassion inquiry for a gift I sent to my Vincent in Togo in September.  It was a birthday gift, sent on 9/28/13, and I have heard nothing back from him.
This means that every single gift that I've sent so far to my Compassion kids has needed an inquiry to get an acknowledgement from the kids (or, in one case, from the project worker, ugh).  I even waited beyond 6 months this time (5 days short of 7 months), as other sponsors have said that they sent the inquiry at 6 months, and then 2 weeks later, the original thank you note arrived, and then 2 months later, ANOTHER thank you note resulting from the inquiry arrived.

It's disappointing.  The entire correspondence part of my Compassion sponsorships is disappointing.
In addition to the inquiry about Vincent's birthday gift, I realized while checking my records, that I've received 1 letter from Vincent in 7 months of sponsorship.  I know sponsors say that the first 6 months of a sponsorship are the most difficult, as letter writing hasn't developed into a pattern, but because it hasn't been the case with World Vision, the lack of letters from my Compassion kids has left a sour taste in my mouth.


Friday, March 14, 2014

Looks like I lost a correspondence child

I checked on my Compassion account online today, and noticed that one of my newer correspondent children, Veronica from El Salvador, was missing.  I don't remember if I even introduced her on this blog.  She was one of 3 correspondence children who came to me in January of this year, and she is already gone :-(
I just mailed my 2nd letter off to her yesterday.
I'm not sure if her financial sponsor dropped her, or if she left the program, so I emailed Compassion to find out.
Because I just picked up a new Plant-a-book child, Naomi, I won't be requesting another correspondence child from Compassion.  Right now I have more than enough children to write to!
This is the first time I've lost a sponsor/correspondence child.  I'm thankful it's a child I didn't really get a chance to know, yet.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Got a response to one of my Compassion inquiries

I am supremely disappointed, to say the least.
Back in mid-February, I placed an inquiry through Compassion because I hadn't yet heard back from 2 children regarding the financial birthday gifts I sent in early-mid August.
Originally, the first Compassion employee who I reached via my email told me that I could not yet place an inquiry, and that it takes 6 months for the earliest response to a gift, because my gift took 3 months to get to the child, and letters take 3 months to get to me from the child.  He told me I needed to wait until 8 months had passed before I put an inquiry in.
First of all, that email put the 1st nail in Compassion's coffin.  Letters do not take 3 months to get to me from the child's project, as I have other letters that have arrive within a month of them being written.  And a financial gift certainly does not take 3 months to get to the child.  This isn't 1985.
Secondly, I knew that Compassion's policy was 6 months for an inquiry if you haven't heard back about a gift.
So, I emailed back, laid it all out for him, and asked if there was someone else I could deal with who would know Compassion's policies better than he did.
The email I got back was, in fact, from someone different, and she assured me that 2 inquiries would be placed for me.  Great.
I even got a follow up email at the end of February, letting me know that Sabnam did, in fact, receive the gift, and it listed out what she bought with the money.  Also, that email let me know that I would be receiving the letter shortly.  Still great, and totally making up for the horrible customer service of the first person I dealt with at Compassion regarding this situation.
Today, that "letter" arrived.  Here it is, word for word:

Dear Sponsor,
Greetings to you on behalf of your sponsored child Sabnam H.  She has received the birthday gift money of $xx that you sent to her.  Out of that money she has got one study lamp, one blanket, one bedsheet, and a lot of toffee according to her need.  She is giving a hearty thanks to you for this all.

No drawing from Sabnam on the back where there is a huge space for the child's drawing, no other information about what's going on in her life, and I doubt Sabnam had any part in helping with this letter.  She is only 5, so I certainly do not expect her to write her own letters, but I do expect a letter to at least appear as if she helped with the input.  Or, if she didn't help with the input, she could have drawn something.

After this experience, and taking into consideration all of the correspondence issues with Compassion, I think I can accurately say that I will not be sponsoring another child with Compassion ever again.  I will maintain my current sponsorships because I do believe in what Compassion is doing, regardless of how many letters I receive.  But I will no longer be sending extra financial gifts, and I will not replace any kids I lose over the years.  If financial difficulties arise, it's sad to say it, but the kids I hear from least will probably be the kids I end up dropping.  Right now, I hear from my World Vision kids and Plant-a-book kids way more often than my Compassion kids.
I am so disappointed.  When I sponsored with Compassion 4 years ago, things were so much better than they are now in the correspondence department.  Oh well, live and learn.  Compassion is still doing great things, and I've since learned of other wonderful child sponsorship organizations.


Friday, March 7, 2014

Meet Naomi!


Meet Naomi, who is my new child sponsored through Plant-a-Book!  Naomi is 14 years old, and in Form 2 at Waddington High School.  She wants to be a teacher!
I am looking forward to getting to know Naomi through our letters and photos.  I already have quite a few photos of Naomi from 2 sponsors who made a trip to Nairobi last month!  My first letter was sent off earlier this week, and I'm hoping it gets there before the students leave for break in April.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Elizabeth's Annual Photo Update

As if my recent "extra" pictures of Elizabeth weren't enough, I also received Elizabeth's annual photo update this week!  I am loving these extra pictures!  It really helps me to feel more connected to my sponsored child, and reminds me that I should keep sending pictures of myself and my family!
My only concern with these photos is that I wonder where her new shoes are that I purchased her!


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Yet another letter from Willy

Willy, my little boy from WV Rwanda is quickly becoming my best letter writer!  Yesterday I received his 6th letter since I started sponsoring him in late August 2013.  That is averaging 1 letter each month!  I am absolutely thrilled with the frequency of letters from his project.  Willy's mother has started to write his letters, and that makes them much more personable.
I think it might be time to send Willy another package!

Monday, February 24, 2014

New photos of Elizabeth




2 wonderful sponsors were visiting Galilee Primary School last week, and I was lucky enough to get several extra pictures of Elizabeth!  Isn't she beautiful?  She looks so reserved in most photos, so I was happy to see her hugging on one of her friends in the photos above.  The children were enjoying lollipops from sponsors as part of a text book drive through plant-a-book.
I am so, so thankful for these extra pictures!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Archita's photo updated!

I was so surprised to see that my Archita's photo updated at just over 18 months!  I've heard stories of some sponsors waiting 2+ years to see a photo update for their sponsored children.  The first photo I have of Archita was taken in July 2012.  Archita has grown so much since her last photo update!  I love seeing how the little ones change.  18 months is a very long time when you are transitioning from 4 years old to almost 6 years old.
I can't wait to receive her new photos in the mail, and I'm hoping her information updates soon, as well.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Elizabeth's new items!



Back in December, I shopped through Plant-a-Book's OLS shop to send school shoes, a hygiene pack, coloring book/crayons, and a jump rope to Elizabeth, my sponsored child at Galilee Primary School.  Whenever we buy our sponsored children items from the OLS, we get pictures of our child with the items after a couple months.  It is just awesome to see extra pictures of my Elizabeth!  She looks so happy, and I'm hoping that I am a little part of that happiness.  Elizabeth struggles in school, so I'm trying my best to be encouraging to her.
I also ordered Elizabeth a bookbag and school supplies earlier this month, so I'm looking forward to getting that picture in a couple months!


Saturday, February 15, 2014

2nd letter from Archita

I was pleasantly surprised to finally receive a 2nd letter from Archita, who is one of my very first sponsored children.  Archita is sponsored through Compassion in East India.  I received her 1st letter very quickly, but it took almost a full 6 months to receive her 2nd letter.
She drew this fantastic picture of her best friend, Manabi, and told me she likes to draw.  Archita told me that one of the things she and her best friend, Manabi, have in common is that they like to help others.  So sweet!
It's a relief to know that I won't have to put an inquiry in on this little one!  Fingers crossed that her next letter does not take 6 months to get here!  Ironically, this letter was written on January 7, 2014, so it really only took 1 month to arrive.

Friday, February 7, 2014

1st letter from Yeferson


I also received my very first letter from Yeferson this week!  This was the "getting to know me" template from Compassion Guatemala, and it included a picture of Yeferson working on the letter!  I'm excited, as this may mean that I will receive additional pictures throughout Yeferson's sponsorship.
The letter included a fingerprint, and he colored in the state that he lives in.  Not much other information, but I am assuming this letter was written when he was registered in Compassion's program, so I am hopeful that future letters will include more information.  I know this little guy was waiting a VERY long time for a sponsor.
Because Guatemala is a cheaper sponsor tour, I am hoping that I might be able to go on the next Guatemala trip offered, even if it's in the same year as the next East India trip.  Then (fingers crossed that Yeferson will still be in the program 5+ years from now), I would love to take my kids when they are old enough to accompany us on a sponsor tour!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

The "right" Alphonsine received the gift I sent!

Yesterday, I was very pleased to get my thank you note from Alphonsine in Rwanda.  Based on the picture, it appears as though the correct Alphonsine received my financial gift that I sent in November, which is a great relief!
Alphonsine and her Grandmother were able to purchase clothing for Alphonsine, beans, cooking oil, sorghum, salt, and a goat.
Now I see that I just need to send her some shoes in the next package I mail.  I wish I could know how big her feet are, so I could send her some crocs or something.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Busy, busy!

It's been terribly busy at our house since my hubby broke his ankle.  Letters have been coming in from my WV kids, but sadly, I haven't received much from my Compassion kids.

Here is a breakdown of kids by organization, country, date of sponsorship (can't really fault Yeferson for not writing yet since I just started sponsoring him a month ago!), and how many letters I've received to date from each of them.


  • Nayan, Compassion East India, sponsored since 8/7/13.  2 letters received
  • Archita, Compassion East India, sponsored 8/7/13.  1 letter received
  • Sabnam, Compassion East India, sponsored 8/11/13.  1 letter received
  • Jorge, Compassion Ecuador, correspondence sponsored 9/13/13. 1 letter received
  • Kamakshi, Compassion India, correspondence sponsored 9/16/13.  0 letters received
  • Vincent, Compassion Togo, sponsored 9/27/13.  1 letter received
  • Yeferson, Compassion Guatemala, sponsored 12/25/13.  0 letters received
I didn't include the 3 correspondence kids I received in January, because they are so new.

Now, for my 3 World Vision kids.
  • Alphonsine, World Vision  Rwanda, sponsored since 8/22/13.  3 letters received, plus a Christmas card
  • Willy, World Vision Rwanda, sponsored since 8/23/13.  5 letters received, plus a Christmas card
  • Marine, World Vision DR Congo, sponsored since 11/7/13.  2 letters received, plus a Christmas card

And, lastly, my child from Plant-a-book.
  • Elizabeth, Plant-a-book Kenya, sponsored since 11/29/13.  1 letter received

So,unless letters arrive in mid-February, I will be putting in an inquiry on 2 of my Compassion kids who I haven't received letters from since the end of August (and those were the pre-written letters written before the child even had a sponsor).  Hopefully, letters will arrive before then.  For Archita, my little one from East India through Compassion, her letter was written when she was 4 years old, and she will be 6 years old in 2 months.  
The lack of correspondence from Compassion is disheartening.  They are a great organization, and have many good points, but I find their correspondence lacking.  A great way to lose enthusiastic sponsors is to have them sponsor a child and only get 2 letters in a year.  Quite honestly, if Compassion did not have those fabulous group sponsor tours, I don't know that I would sponsor anymore children through them.  If World vision started offering sponsor tours to American sponsors, I don't know that I'd sponsor anymore through Compassion.  It's sad, because I really and truly trust Compassion as an organization, and I think they do fantastic work.  But I am a sponsor who needs letters.  I don't think that 6 letters/year is too much to ask of project where children are sponsored.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Letter confusion

Earlier this week, I received what looked like TWO letters from Alphonsine, my sponsored child in Rwanda.  She is sponsored through World Vision, and they are great with the correspondence, so I figured the letters got batched.
But I opened them, and while the same child number was on each letter, the last name was different on one of the letters.  AND, the stickers on the letter from my Alphonsine were stickers I'd never sent her.  To make matters more confusing, stickers that I had sent my Alphonsine were decorating the letter from the other Alphonsine, with the different last name (and different circumstances--the other Alphonsine lives with both parents and attends primary school.  My Alphonsine does not attend primary school yet and lives with her Grandmother).
I sent an email off to World Vision, and there are apparently two girls named Alphonsine in the Maraba community, and both last names start with N.  They are unsure if my letters/gifts have been going to my Alphonsine or the other Alphonsine.
I am extremely frustrated.  I am thinking of poor Alphonsine, possibly getting next to NO mail from her sponsor, when I've been sending mailings more than once a month!
I am most worried about the financial gift I sent to my Alphonsine in early November.  I sincerely hope that if the gift went to the wrong Alphonsine that World Vision would make sure Alphonsine and her Grandmother get a gift, since it was WV's fault.  I have to be patient and wait 2-3 months to hear back from the staff in Rwanda about the 2 Alphonsine mix ups.  Hopefully, this can get straightened out very soon.
From now on, I will be putting Alphonsine's last name on all correspondence and packages.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Another correspondent!

Meet Juan, from Colombia, who is my newest correspondent!  Juan is 11 years old, and is above average in school!  He lives with his father and sister, and his mother is in prison.  I've already sent Juan's first letter off!  I can't wait to start encouraging him!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Welcome Ari to my correspondence family!

Her photo isn't showing up big enough for me to do a screen shot yet off of Compassion's website, but I officially have a new correspondence child!
Widia Ariyanti (Ari) is from Indonesia-- my first child from Indonesia!
She is 12 years old, and lives with her mother.  Ari's father is deceased.  Ari's mother suffers from health problems, and is unemployed.  The average income in Ari's community is $15/month.
I sent Ari's first letter off today, and I can't wait to get to know her!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

First Gift Thank you!


Today, I received my first thank you note with picture for any of the gifts I've sent so far to all of my sponsored children!  Ironically, it was one of the most recent gifts I've sent.  In the beginning of December, I sent a $100 special gift to Marina in the DR Congo, and I received her thank you today!
With that money, Marina purchased a new outfit, which I assume she is wearing, a doll, a mattress (she was just sleeping on a mat before), a 15 kg bag of rice, and a sack of fufie (not sure what that is).  
I haven't heard anything from the 2 birthday money gifts I sent through Compassion in August, nothing for the one I sent in September, and nothing about the 2 special gifts I sent to my Rwandan World Vision kids in the beginning of November.
I probably shouldn't be surprised, because Marina's letter arrived more quickly than everyone else's, too!