Meet Gilda!

I couldn't say no to that smile, and the name just made it impossible to resist- Gilda Radner is one of my absolute favorite comediennes. (And favorite people in general!) I know it's not pronounced the same, but seriously, when I saw this girl, something in me just knew, like it did when I saw Egda. I saved myself a couple of weeks of agonizing and constantly checking the CI website, though, because I sponsored Gilda right away! Her information showed up on my account this morning.

Gilda Lisbeth M. M. is 11 years old, born on January 19, 1999. She comes from, surprise surprise, Guayaquil, Ecuador! Gilda is 4'6" tall and weighs 82 lbs. Her hair and eyes are black.

Gilda lives with her parents: father Gabriel, a street vendor, and mother Mercy Jaqueline, a homemaker. She also lives with her 4 older siblings: sisters Angelica, 21; Wendy, 17; and Liliana, 15; as well as brother Jimmy, 15. The family income is about $180 a month.

The home is one multi-use room, with walls of split cane (not sturdy!), a roof of corrugated metal, and floor of wood. They cook on a portable gas stove and sleep in metal beds. There is running water, a septic tank, and regulated electicity in the home.

Gilda attends school and enjoys math class. She also likes to listen to music and to paint. Her chores at home include washing clothes.

I cannot wait to get my first letter from Gilda. I know it won't be for 6-8 weeks, but this girl just seems so...fun and cool and interesting! I'm eager and anxious to get to know her more.

New Photo of Jairo Joel!

I was surprised by this photo on Saturday. It's dated 10/19/10. Jairo is almost 6 here- his birthday's at the end of November. And dude. If this kid gets any cuter I don't think I'm gonna be able to handle it. Look at his hair! Aaah so much cuteness!

Four Letters From Child Hope Zambia Kids

A few days ago I received a thick envelope in the mail from CHZ- letters from four of my sponsored children! The first one is from Hachita. Hachita just turned 14 years old at the end of August, and I sent a direct package with a little teddy bear, some balloons and other decorations, and small toys. She received it at distribution, which was held just a couple of days after her birthday!
Here is her letter:
"Dear Nicole,
Thank you for your letter and the gifts you sent for me. I enjoyed playing with the bear, balloons, horns and decorations. I had great fun with my brothers, sisters, and friends. We had great fun. School is fine. I like school very much. I hope you received the letter I sent in August. I received the letter in Tonga and the post card in English. I will be very happy if you send for me a photo of yourself and your family. I am happy that you write to me often. I hope you are enjoying the season there, it's summer here and I enjoy the hot weather. Your friend, Hachita."

The other direct package recipient was Crestetor, who just turned 9 on October 4th. Her package arrived in time for her birthday, too! This is the first letter I've gotten from Crestetor. She wrote a fill-in-the-blank type letter.
"Dear Sponsor: My favorite subject in school is science. I will tell you a bit about my teacher, classmates, and school house: Mrs Chisengule. Boys 25, girl 43, 68. Pictures 20. [This is the second time I've seen the "20 pictures" thing in a letter from one of this group's children. It clearly means something, but I haven't figured out what yet.] My best friend's name is Pretty Moonga. What I like best about him/her is: that we play together. I would like to tell you about my family. Brothers 4 Sisters 3, 7. I stay with my mother. I know my family loves me beacuse I do what they tell me to do. [Hee hee!] One day I would like to be a nurse. I also want to tell you that [the] precious presents you sent to me found me in joy, and I really appreciated that. Loving you and your family forever. Your sponsored child, Crestetor N."

8-year-old Lavenda also wrote me a fill-in-the-blank letter. She used a different template than Crestetor did. I've gotten one letter from Lavenda before this one.
"Dear Sponsor: Hello! How are you? I am very much okay today. My favorite color is black. I am very good at mathematics. I have two friends. My best friend's name is Natasha M. My family is quite big. I live with my grandmother. My favorite place is Momze town. One day I would like to be a teacher. I also want to tell you that I was glad to receive the gifts you send me and I am wishing you good luck always. Thank you very much. Your sponsored child, Lavenda M."
The gifts Lavenda refers to are items provided by sponsorship. I didn't send her a direct package because her birthday isn't until March.
Last but not least is Private! Private is 9 years old. He colored a picture of a cartoon car, drew a portrait of his family, AND wrote a fill-in-the-blank letter!
"Dear Sponsor: Hello! How are you? I am okay today. My favorite color is black. I am very good at Chitonga my mother tongue. I have two friends. My best friend's name is Allan M. My family is quite big. I live with my father. My favorite place is Mazabuca Town. One day I would like to be a driver. I also want to tell you that I was in great joy receiving a nice letter from you and to know you as my sponsor. Your sponsored child, Private M."
Private also used some stickers one of his other sponsors sent him to make scary monster eyes on an illustration of a goat that was on the stationary he used. He also put a sticker saying "Beware!" right under the goat, so it's like "Beware of scary monster goat!" It's really quite hilarious.

Confusion About Tatiana

On Friday I was checking my Children International account, and at first I thought they had some kind of bug in their computer program, because Tatiana's name and age were different. Way different- she went from 12 to 8, and the last name went from P. R. to Different P Name. O.
I thought that I was looking at the information for someone else's child, and wondered how that happened. Then I saw the pictures- it was still my Tatiana. I was so confused. Why did her name and age change?
Then I remembered an inquiry a CI employee had made a couple of months ago. There was some confusion regarding Tatiana and one of her brothers- they were listed as being born 17 days apart or something like that. So I guess the family report I have now is the new, improved, corrected one...except I still am confused.
Tatiana doesn't look 8. She looks 10 or 12. And if she's 8, her first photo would have been taken when she was about 11 months old. For one thing, that's over a year younger than the very youngest children CI enrolls in their program. For another thing, she doesn't LOOK like an 11 month old baby in the picture! She looks like a toddler, yes, but not an 11 month old. I think that maybe Tatiana's parents aren't exactly sure when she was born- she probably doesn't have a birth certificate, as a lot of poor children in these countries don't. So for now I'm going to stick with what I'm told- Tatiana is 8, and will turn 9 on December 9th.
Another change on the family record is the presence of a father- Miguel, a street vendor. On the old report it said her father was unknown. Mother Delfina is now listed as working as a maid- she was a homemaker before. There are several other minor changes, to things like Tatiana's chores and the method they use for cooking.

On the same day, I also received Tatiana's education report. When I received it, I hadn't yet seen the new report, so I was still operating under the assumption that the education report was for a 12 year old. So I was totally baffled when the report said that Tatiana is in the 1st grade, gets good grades, and her progress is "advanced." How could she be 12, in 1st grade, but have "advanced" progress? I thought maybe she was in 1st year high school, which would be advanced for 12...but now that I know she's 8, it makes more sense. She probably got a late start in school but is now making excellent progress and doing very well. Hence, only in 1st grade, but "advanced" progress.

I think Tatiana's always going to be kind of a mystery to me. I probably only feel that way now because I haven't received my first letter from her yet. It should be here in another couple of weeks, though. I can't wait to read what she has to say!

Meet Nettie!

I went against my word and added just one more child to my group of sponsored children. I just got to thinking, "I sponsor children from ten foreign countries, but I don't sponsor a child from the USA. I should change that." I thought hard about sponsoring a child from the USA through Children International, which is a fabulous amazing wonderful organization, but in the end I went with a different group.
I decided to sponsor a child through Children, Incorporated. I made this decision simply because of the areas in which they work. Children International's USA sponsorship programs are located in Little Rock, Arkansas. Children Inc. has programs in Appalachia, inner cities like New Orleans and Detroit, and on Native American reservations. I thought about sponsoring a child from Washington, DC- I live in a Maryland suburb of DC- but I ended up deciding to sponsor a Native American child. I'm not Native myself, but I grew up in Minnesota, near many reservations, and I've seen the challenges these communities face. I grew up around some people who had awful prejudices towards Native Americans, including some members of my own family. I've worked with reservation leaders on projects for youth to try to steer them towards more positive lifestyles, and I found that type of work very rewarding, so I decided to sponsor an older Native American girl.
I chose Antionette "Nettie" W. (I actually don't know her last name- it's kept confidential for her privacy.) She is a 16-year-old Navajo girl who lives in Arizona. Her birthday is July 18, 1994, and she's in the 8th grade. Her information packet says she lives with her parents and 8-year-old sister Torie, but in a different part of the packet it says she attends a boarding school. So I guess she lives at the school during school times and goes home for holidays.
Nettie's favorite subject is writing, and she works hard at school and does well. She's in good health, which is always good to hear. She likes to play basketball and enjoys cooking. Her teacher describes her as "a good helper, reponsible, happy, and well balanced." She gets along well with others, has good work habits, and likes to learn.
Nettie's mom works as a housekeeper, and her dad is currently unemployed.
I'm going to write my first letter to Nettie this weekend. Children Inc has the children write letters to their sponsors, but only if the sponsors write to the children first. Sponsors are also able to send packages to their sponsored children in the USA, so I'll probably send a couple of packages a year.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how I like sponsoring through Children, Inc. Children International is still the best large sponsorship organization around, in my opinion, but Children Inc. is looking pretty good too!
(Costwise, Children International is $22/month, and Children, Incorporated is $28/month.)
www.children.org (Children International)
www.childrenincorporated.org (Children, Inc.)
Check it out!

Very Sad News from Javiera

I got a CP letter from Javiera in Chile last Saturday and I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since. The letter had some very distressing news in it. Javiera writes,
"Dear Sponsor Ms. Nicole A,
I hope you are well. I'm in good health over here but a bit sad. I want to tell you now that in September I will turn 11 years old and I really like animals, cats, dogs and I still play with dolls and I like with my grandparents, siblings and my dad. We're 5 siblings but my younger brother suffered from a deceased (leukemia) and he's in heaven now. I'm sad but happy because he's no longer in pain."
There was a bit more to the letter, but that's the part that just reached in and ripped my heart into little bits. CI was able to give me a little more information about Javiera's brother: his name was Cristobel and he just passed away in August 2010. Two months ago. I cannot even imagine how much pain this family must be in. To lose a son, a grandson, a brother...it's just so tragic. He couldn't have been more than 10 years old, either.
I had just sent Javiera a "normal" letter about 10 days before I received this news. CI encourages sponsors to write no more than once a month to avoid overwhelming the child and the translators, but I decided that letting Javiera know that I'm here for her is more important than sticking hard-and-fast to that rule. I wrote her a letter online, so it'll get there faster, and I told her how sorry I was and that I would listen if she wanted to talk about her brother more, but if she didn't want to that was okay too. I basically just tried to be supportive and let her know I am here, I'm a friend, she can talk to me.
I also asked CI to check on her emotional well-being, and to put together a special needs report. It's kind of like bringing a pie or a casserole to someone after a funeral...it's a gesture of love and support. I'm sure there are things they need, and since I can't exactly send a casserole to Valparaiso, I'll be happy to send a donation to help them at this very awful time.

Finally!

Yes, I finally received my letter from Jesús in Mexico! I was so relieved- I was beginning to think it had gotten stuck in one of the 12 million circulars we get and had been thrown away! I am not a patient person at the best of times, but waiting 11+ weeks for my first letter from Jesús kind of helped me become a teeny tiny bit more patient. Debbie from CI (a wonderful person) looked into it for me, and because the first letter I wrote arrived so soon after I began sponsoring Jesús, I guess they sort of combined the CW (Child Welcome) and CP (Child Participation) letters. I always write a letter to the child soon after I become their sponsor, and usually about 8 weeks after sponsoring them I get a CW and a CP letter- one the child's introduction letter, the other a response to my first letter.
Well, Jesús does not write himself yet, because he's only 6 and hasn't been to school. So his father, Jorge Z, wrote for him. Dad writes:
"Dear Nicole A,
I am the father of Jesús Salvador and I am writing because he does not know how to read or write yet and he tells me that he is happy because you are his sponsor and he says that the same like you he loves soccer and also animals, he loves cats and also nature, the forests and the rivers and above all, the sea and he would like to know you some day and well, goodbye with a kiss and a strong hug on behalf of my son Jesús Salvador and thank you for your attention.
Jorge Z"
Dad also drew a little picture of a car traveling along by the sea, and Jesús colored it. My husband looked at the drawing and said "It's a VW Bug! He drew you a Bug!" and it does look like a Bug. Bugs aren't uncommon in Mexico- I've visited there twice and both times I saw lots and lots of them. Like, so many that it was kind of weird.
I'm happy to see that Senor Z can write, too. We're working on getting Jesús into school as soon as possible, which probably won't be until Fall of 2011. But I made the donation so his parents can go get the letter of inexistence, which is the first step in getting him enrolled. I can't wait for the day when he writes his own letter to me!

Photos!

I have THREE new photos of some sponsored children! The first one was a surprise- Joanne's annual photo wasn't due for another few months, but just a few days ago, there it was! I sponsor Joanne through Children International.
Her smile is so bright and real- it always makes me smile, too, when I see it. (And I love the orange shirt!)

Below: Child Hope Zambia kids

Above is Private with his goat. I do not know who the other person in the photo is. A family member, maybe? Anyway, Private's other sponsors got him a goat, which seems random until you realize that these children's families are all farmers, and a goat is a very useful thing to have. Herding goats or cattle is a very, very common chore for boys, even the very young ones. I couldn't herd a goat if you paid me to, but when that's part of your daily life, I guess you learn young!

Above is Hachita with her hygeine kit. She is a primary student, though she is 14 years old. I've sponsored her since June, and this month she received a hygeine kit. I'm not sure about everything it contains, but obviously there's a towel there, and probably things like soap and tablets to treat water with to make it drinkable.

Meet Mary Joy!

I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to add any more kids. But then, well, then I found Mary Joy. She was first mentioned because someone saw her photo and thought she was a boy, accidentally listed among the girls. But in fact Mary Joy is a young woman, and she reminds me SO much of myself at that age that I couldn't not sponsor her. She looks like so much fun to be around and I love the short hair. (I've got really short hair myself and when I was a teenager I was consistently mistaken for a boy.)
So, everyone meet Mary Joy Vergara B! She is 12 years old and lives in Tabaco, Philippines. Her birthday is December 28, 1997- she'll turn 13 at the end of this year. She is just an inch shorter than me at 5'1", and her weight is 110 lbs.
Mary Joy likes to sing and play basketball. Her chores at home include running errands, sweeping, and cooking.
Mary Joy lives with her parents and five brothers and sisters. Her father, Salvador, is a laborer, and her mother, Nimfa, is a housekeeper. The monthly income for the family is about $111.
Mary Joy has two little sisters- Mary Grace Vergara, 11; and Mary Rose Vergara, 8. She also has 3 big brothers- Sonny, 26; Regie, 22; and Rhea, 20. The family all lives together in a house with a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a living room. The walls of the home are concrete block, the roof is corrugated metal, and the floor is concrete. They cook on a wood-burning stove and sleep in beds. There is running water in the home, regulated electricity, and a latrine.
Mary Joy does not attend school- her family lacks the money. I'm waiting for a CI report on that, and to see if she's working to support her family. I highly, highly doubt that she has never attended school in her life- I assume she dropped out. I asked CI to have the field office determine whether it would be possible or feasible to have Mary Joy re-enroll in school. If that's not appropriate, I told them I would like to contribute for vocational training.
Her family report doesn't indicate that she works, but I don't know if that's even something that is ever listed on the reports. Whether it's school or work, I am eager to help this girl.
The second I saw Mary Joy I thought "I have to sponsor her." I didn't know if she would be sponsored quickly by someone else, because people tend to like their boys to look like boys and their girls to look like girls. A girl who looks like a boy is unappealing to some people- of course I think that's ridiculous, but it's the truth. I just did not want Mary Joy to have to wait forever for a sponsor! So I stepped up. Financially, I'm really at my limit now. I've sponsored more kids than I planned on, but I wouldn't do anything differently. My sponsorships have also taught me to value money more in my regular everyday life, and not to waste money on totally unnecessary things. That is worth an extra $22 a month, for sure.

Photos from Padmashree's SNG- 2010!

My wonderful husband scanned the photos from Padmashree's SNG, so here they are! The first one is my favorite. Look at that grin! It makes me almost tear up just to see it. She looks so happy!

Padmashree and her two sisters each received a pair of school sneakers, a school uniform, and four months of private tutoring. They also bought 10 copy books for them to share. These are notebooks they can do their school assignments in. Below Padmashree is in the middle, and her sister Bonoshree (13) is in the yellow, and Tanushree (15) is in the purple.

Below is Padmashree (far right, in pink) and her sisters Tanushree and Bonoshree.

Violet and Maggie

The adorable little girl to the left is Violet. I sponsor Violet with another wonderful sponsor. She just emailed me this morning asking me if I'd like to join in the sponsorship and I said yes! Violet just turned four years old- her birthday was just on the 21st of September. She is in the preschool class and she wants to be a nurse when she grows up. Her favorite subject is numbers, and her favorite color is blue. Her chore at home is fetching water, and for fun she likes free play. Violet doesn't have any brothers, but she has three sisters, and she lives with them and her parents.

The young woman above on the right is Maggie. Maggie just turned 13 years old on September 7- she shares a birthday with my best female friend from college, Brooke! Maggie is in 9th grade. Her sponsorship is a little different- usually through Child Hope Zambia, sponsorship of a secondary student is $15 a month. But since Maggie is about to take her exams (in December) and already has a uniform and books, her sponsorship is just $9 per month until December. The results of her exams in December will determine whether she will be able to continue on in school. So I might only be sponsoring her for 3 more months, or I might (hopefully) be continuing to sponsor her until she finishes grade 12.

Maggie wants to be a journalist someday. Her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite subject in school is science. She loves to read, and at home her chores include washing the dishes. She lives with her grandparents, her two brothers and her three sisters.

A Collage For Tatiana

The photos in this collage are of Tatiana, who is 12 and lives in Cartagena, Colombia. Tatiana looks really, really sad in most of her photos! It almost breaks my heart to see her looking so sad! So I decided that I would make a collage of her photos and send it to her! That way, her family will be able to see photos of her going back 9 years (the sponsored kids don't get copies of their own photos) AND she'll be able to see that her sponsor thinks she is a lovely, wonderful, cool young lady!