Commit to Helping a Child: Feel Better About Your Life in Return

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Many people are unemployed and losing their homes.  Savings accounts and 401 K’s, once a nest egg are being used for survival.  Now you think long and hard before making a purchase.  It is a very scary time, and a very fragile world. 

We are a world in crisis

What I am going to write about may not sound like a problem solver to the above, but if examined further, it could be just what you need to make you feel better.

 About 5 years ago, I wanted to help a child in need.  I researched many organizations and found one called Plan USA.  Plan is an organization committed to helping children, their families and communities in 46 developing countries around the world.  Established in 1937, there goal is to give people in the poorest countries tools to establish change, therefore improving life today and giving children a chance for a better tomorrow. 

Through the web site Planusa you can choose a child you would like to sponsor.  They tell you briefly about the child and the country they live in.  My first child was 14 years old when I selected her and lives in Ethiopia.  She lost her parents’ and lives with her uncle.  Her face and her story drew me to her.  I sponsored Yobedar until she graduated from the program. I then chose a little girl named Valentina from Columbia, who I currently support.

When you become a sponsor you make a minimal monthly contribution of $24.00 to Plan USA.  This money is designated towards advances in your child’s community.  This in effect helps strengthen his or her family in countless ways.  Some areas are lacking in water, sewer systems, and electricity and health centers.  Some children are denied education and do not live in safe dwellings.  Every situation is different and when you sign up you get detailed information, through reading material, about your child.  The facts are informative and eye opening.    

You can communicate through letters with your sponsored family.  Plan USA has a field staff that brings your letters and gifts to the family.  Through correspondences, you will find out about their day-to-day living and the challenges they face. 

Small gifts are a welcomed surprise for your child, which could include notebooks, pens, balls, t-shirts, and stickers that cost approximately $10.00 or less. I have received pictures of Yobedar wearing and holding the shirts and school supplies I mailed to her.  My emotions were overwhelming when I viewed those pictures.

In these turbulent times, giving to someone that is less fortunate will make you feel better about your life.  These children will feel a little more secure, a little more loved and more optimistic about their future.  I do not know about you, but there is nothing better in this world than seeing a smile on a child’s face and happiness in their eyes.  Children deserve to be happy.  Children deserve to feel safe.  Children deserve to feel loved.