Charity Whore Adventures
Did you know I have a son in South America? Well, he's a sponsor child that is like a son to me. I received an email from Compassion Australia recently, saying that my sponsor child Carlos was turning 18!! I was pregnant with my first child at 18, and I decided that for each child I had in Australia, I would sponsor a child overseas. So at 18 years of age I sponsored Carlos from Peru, and at the time he was only five years old. He was so cute, and he couldn't even write yet, so the first letter he sent me was his handprint. I replied by sending him my handprint!
Over the years we have written letters and sent photos to each other, and as my children grew older they took over the letter writing. The letter writing used to be done with pen and paper, but now it has evolved so that my kids can type the letters online, upload pictures, and send them digitally through the Compassion website. Carlos was like my first baby and even helped me come up some ideas for baby names that had a South American flavour, as my babies came along! He was always writing about how much he wanted to be a famous soccer player, so when he was little I always sent him soccer stickers with his letters.
I remember years ago we received a decent tax return, so we decided to give Carlos an additional once off financial gift. We received a photo of all the things his family bought him, which included a new bed, a jacket, food staples, and most importantly, a new soccer ball! You can see his happiness radiating from his face in the photo below. Every year he received a bit of extra money from us for his birthday and Christmas, and he used the money to buy himself new clothes and shoes.
I wondered what would happen now that Carlos was turning 18. Would the sponsorship cease? I phoned Compassion and a lovely lady answered all my questions. She said in Peru, Compassion kids get to stay in the program until they are 22, as long as they continue their education. So if they go to university or learn a vocational trade, the sponsorship can help them with their fees. I was so happy to hear this! Once they get a job, the sponsorship stops, because they can support themselves through employment.
It's been a great experience for us to know that as a family we have made a difference in another child's life, simply by giving a small amount of money each month. We take so much for granted in Australia, like having a bed, new shoes, food, money for education, and employment. The whole time I have sponsored Carlos his mother has been unemployed and his father has been employed only some of the time. We are so lucky to be born in Australia. I know that this experience has helped to teach my kids that they are very fortunate for the lives they have.
Those who know me, know that I'm a self confessed charity whore. I'm not faithful to one charity, I just can't get enough of lots of different ones! So here's a few of my favourites:
Compassion- this is the organisation that I have sponsored Carlos through. I love that when I send money I see photos of what he has bought for himself.
World Vision Child Rescue- supporting vulnerable children who slip between the cracks, who can't be sponsored because they're on the street or in awful situations. I've seen their work with my own eyes in Cambodia. Amazeballs! All of my original music sales goes to Child Rescue.
Watoto- supporting abandoned infants and orphans in Uganda in a family setting or village, rather than a typical orphanage set up.
Shalom House- A drug rehab for men in the Swan Valley in Western Australia. I've seen men changed, relationships restored, and kids having their dads back in their lives. 10% from all my live music bookings goes to Shalom House.
100 Women- not a charity, rather a Perth based giving circle. 100 Women give a certain amount each month, and at the end of one year, they vote on three charities to give the funding too.
Parkerville- helping vulnerable foster children in Perth, Western Australia.
Please note I don't get paid or anything weird or creepy like that for writing this or recommending these charities. I'm just a legit charity whore.
There are so many amazing charities out there, these are just a few. If you're thinking about sponsoring a child, JUST DO IT! That small amount of money that we gave to Compassion each month has changed the world for a small boy called Carlos, who is now a young man with a future. It's an amazing experience to be a part of breaking the poverty cycle for someone else. My life motto is to treat others as you would like to be treated. If my kids were in Carlos' shoes and needed sponsoring I would hope that someone would help us. You don't have to be a millionaire to make a difference, I mean I'm a musician with four kids for crying out loud haha! Go on, be a charity whore and change the world for a child!