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!

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!

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.