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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.