Kanan's CW Letter

Kanan is 6 years old, from Kolkata, India. She doesn't write her own letters yet, because she's so young, so her CW letter was written by a volunteer. Here's what she had to say:
"Dear sponsor,
Kanan and her family welcome you to this sponsorship programme. Kanan studies in class II and likes to study Hindi. She likes to play with dolls and likes to watch cartoon on TV. She also likes to colour pictures. Kanan and her family also wants to know about you. They send their love and regards and looks forward to your reply.
Mousumi for Kanan"
A nice little letter! I can't wait until Kanan is able to write to me herself!

Joanne, Chess Champion and Future Nurse

Joanne, 12, from Tabaco, Philippines, wrote me a wonderful Welcome letter. In my experience, the children from the Philippines write really excellent letters. Maybe it's because they write in English, so no translation is needed for English-speaking sponsors, or maybe it's just because the kids seem so warm and loving. Whatever it is, it's a treat to get a letter from one of my 3 Filipino/a kids.

Joanne writes:

"Dear Sponsor,

Hello to you and to your family before anything else my name is Joanne B. I'm 12 years old. I was born on October 29, 1997. I am 1st year high school at Tabaco National High School. My ambition is to become a nurse. I will do my best to help the people have a sick. My mother is Jennifer B. she is 32 years old. My father is Santos B. he is my stepfather he is 39 years old. My sister are Sunshine B. she is 7 years old while Jennlyn B. is 5 years old.

My favorite food are vegetables, fruits, fish and meat. My favorite subject is Math. My favorite color are sky blue and orange. My hobbies are watching TV, playing badminton and chess, especially singing at the church. My favorite toy is chessboard.

Thank you for sponsoring me. I hope that God gives you a good health and God bless you always.

Respectfully Yours,

Joanne Buasan"

I think it's great that she wants to be a nurse. Nursing is an excellent profession, and I know that if Joanne works hard, she can reach her goal!

Jairo's Letters and an Educational Hurdle

Since Jairo, 5, from Guayaquil, Ecuador, just began Kindergarten, he doesn't write his own letters yet. Instead, his mother Paola writes for him. In the CW letter, she writes:

"Dear Mr. Sponsor, [heehee]

I'm your sponsored child's mother. I thank you for choosing him as your sponsored child. Let me tell you that he's a very cute and sweet child. He's healthy. Due to his short age he's very restless and playful. He's attending Kindergarten. He's learning his first letters. He learns everything because he has a good memory. As his mother I feel very proud of my son. He likes drawing, painting and playing with puzzles. He forms figures and has fun playing. He also likes sweets, such as: chocolate cookies. He likes juices, soda and ice cream. Says good-bye with affection,

Paola P. A."

I love the part about "due to his short age" he's playful and restless. I bet Jairo is a very fun little boy to be around! And the news about him attending school is great, because when I first began to sponsor Jairo, the report said he did not attend school because the family lacks money. (Jairo's family is extremely poor, poorer than even many other CI families- they live in Ecuador and the monthly income is just $37, which must support 11 people.)

Jairo's mother also wrote his reponse to the first letter I sent. I received it a few weeks after the CW letter. Paola writes:

"Hi Nicole A!

This is your sponsored child's mom and I'll tell you a little bit about him. He's a cute boy and he likes to play with his 8 siblings. He's also happy because he'll be 6 years old soon. He asks a lot of questions and I'm always near him so I can take care of him and protect him. I love him because he's smart and he's always active at school. We live in a small sector with cane made houses and we have a grocery store nearby. We love you a lot. I hope you're in good health and God bless you. I deeply thank you for being a wonderful sponsor. I say goodbye with a big hug.

Paola P. A."

A few weeks after I received the second letter, I also received a follow-up from CI regarding questions I'd asked about Jairo's education. I wanted to make sure he was able to attend school regularly regardless of his family's financial status. It's a good thing I did, because CI sent me a memo stating that, while Jairo had been able to start Kindergarten this year, it was only because his father had a job at that time. Unfortunately, the father lost his job and the parents were not able to buy Jairo and the siblings all the supplies they needed for school. CI sent me a list of items, and the associated costs, and I made a Special Needs Gift on the 18th or thereabouts.

However, that only covers costs and supplies for this year. The school year in Ecuador ends in January, and the family is not sure if Jairo and his siblings will be able to continue in school next year, because their father is currently unemployed. Also, a new baby was just born, so there's another mouth to feed! Currently, Jairo's mother is the only one who works. She washes clothes, which is not a steady job. That is why the family income is very low.

CI is going to look into what is necessary for Jairo for next school year, but for now I am very happy to know that he and his siblings will have the supplies they need to finish up the school year.

Akshay Explains Cricket

This bright-eyed little guy is Akshay Kumar, age 9. He lives in Kolkata, India, in one of the slums of that city. On all the CI records, his first name is listed as "Akhya", but he's signed both of his letters "Akshay", so I am assuming that is what he goes by. So that is how I will refer to him from now on!

Akshay wrote his own letter, in Bengali, except for the greeting "Dear Sponsor", which he wrote in English.

"Dear Sponsor,

I am feeling glad to write to you for the first time. Hope all is well with you and your family. I am doing well with my family. I read in Grade II. I like to read Bengali. We have 5 members in our family. I have a younger brother and sister. I play hide and seek with my friends. I watch TV and draw picture in my spare time. I am extremely thankful to you for sponsoring me.

Yours,

Akshay S."

In the "drawing" area, he drew a very nice picture of four people playing soccer. He's pretty much better at drawing than I am, and I'm 27 and he's nine.

In my first letter to Akshay, which I sent just a few days after I began to sponsor him, I asked him about cricket. One of his favorite pastimes is playing cricket, and I do not understand cricket at all. So I asked him to please explain a bit about it for me, since in the USA we don't really play cricket!

Akshay writes:

"Dear Nicole A, [In English]

I've received your letter and I am glad to know about your family. Your writing is very nice. Hope all is well with you and your family. I am doing well with my family. I live in a city named Kolkata. It is the capital of West Bengal. have you ever watch cricket match in TV? There are 2 teams with 11 players in each team. One team does batting and another team does fielding. Sourav Ganguly is my favorite player of Indian cricket team. I am thankful to you for your help.

Yours,

Akshay S."

How wonderful! Obviously, I could just google "Cricket" and learn all about it, and I did do that. But it's so much more interesting and fun to hear Akshay explain the sport in his own words. I will have to tell him that no, I have not ever seen a cricket match on TV, nor in person.

Education Reports from India

To the left is Akshay, who is 9 years old and in Grade II. He comes from the Disha project in Kolkata, India. Akshay attends a 4 story school that provides education through Grade X. There are 600-800 children in the entire school. (I wish the reports said how many teachers there were for the school!) Akshay walks to school, which takes him about 10 minutes. His grades are fair and his educational progress is advanced. His favorite subject is Bengali, and he is also interested in Drawing. Akshay dreams of becoming an Engineer when he grows up.

Above and to the right is Anjum, 14, from the Sahay project in India. Anjum studies in Class VII. The school she attends is a two story building with about 1000 students. Anjum walks to school, which takes her about 15 minutes. Her grades are fair, and her progress is normal. Her favorite classes are language classes. From CI she has received school fees, a school supply kit, school shoes, and a school bag. Anjum plans to continue her education, and is working hard to improve her grades.

Education Reports for Javiera and Mirian

I recently received a whole bunch of Education Reports for some of my CI-sponsored children. If a child is in school when I begin to sponsor him/her, I always request an education report right away. I want to know how they are doing in school, and if they might need any special help that I could provide for with a Special Needs Gift.

First comes Javeria's Education Report. (She's above, at left.) Javiera is 11 years old and in the 5th grade in Valparaiso, Chile. She attends a school with about 29 other children (I'm not sure if that's the number in the school or in her class). Javiera walks to school, and it takes her about 10 minutes. Her grades are good and her progress is average. Javiera has trouble with math, and she is receiving help from students of math from local universities. From Children International, Javiera has received a school supply kit and school shoes. She plans to continue her education.

Mirian Yesenia (above right) is 14 years old and in the 5th grade. She lives in rural Guatemala. She attends a private school where about 1000 other students attend. Approximately 20 of these children are sponsored. Mirian walks to school, and it takes her about 20 minutes. Her grades are good and her progress is normal. Mirian is especially interested in grammar and math, and from CI she has received school supplies, clothing, and school shoes. Mirian received an average of 82 points (out of 100) in the 5th grade.

Javiera's News

In Javiera's second letter to me, I learned some awful news: she told me that her younger brother had just died of leukemia. Worried about her well-being, I send an inquiry to CI asking them to check on Javiera and her family, and asking for a little more information about Javiera's living situation in general. I also knew that Javiera's mother has abandoned the family, and it just seemed like so much for a young girl to be going through. I wanted to make sure Javiera was okay. I also sent her a special letter telling her how sorry I was about her brother, asking her if she'd like to talk about him, telling her that whatever she was feeling was okay, etc.
Here is what I received back from CI a few weeks ago regarding Javiera's situation:
I learned that Javiera's brother, Cristobel, passed away on July 18, 2010. Javiera has not seen her mother since before Cristobel got sick. The mother wasn't living with the family even then; she was just visiting sometimes, but she stopped visiting when Cristobel became sick. Javiera considers her grandmother to be her mother. A step-mother, Javiera's father's wife, is also present. The step-mother moved into the home after Cristobel passed away.
After Cristobel's death, Javiera was seen by the school psychiatrist, who determined that Javiera is well, but of course extremely sad. Javiera and Cristobel were very close- she is 11 and he was 9- and losing such a close family member might cause her to have some problems at school. (Academic, not behavioral.) Javiera is receiving help with the subjects she is struggling in- mostly math.
So, overall, Javiera is all right. She's grieving, of course, but on a basic level she's going to be okay. I was worried about her, but I'm glad to learn that she did see the school psychiatrist. I was concerned that Javiera didn't have much support in this difficult time, but I can see that she has the support of her extended family. I am much relieved.