My sponsor children

Sponsorship

I sponsor S---- and D----- for £14 each per month with Plan UK. I am finding it a very rewarding activity. Plan have also been happy and prompt to answer all my email queries.

Although each sponsorship is for one child, the sponsorship money is used in projects to support the whole village, such as clean water, vaccination programs and education. My sponsor children in this way represent their community, and I write to their whole family.

Every year I receive an update on each family and their village facilities, with photographs, as well as a cross-cultural communication which describes some aspect of local life. I also receive letters as often as the family send them, which is about three times a year. I always enjoy finding the Plan branded envelopes in my mail.

Writing to a family abroad

There is a lot to learn about communicating with a family from another country and culture. Letter writing is unfamiliar to many sponsored families, so I have kept letters short and informative, trying to use concepts that will be familiar such as weather and travel. Plan are great at answering questions about what topics are suitable, and advised me when S----'s baby brother died that it would be fine to send my condolences. I have also asked questions in my letters which will I hope give the family something to talk about if they are not sure what to say but want to reply.

The letters are usually translated into the relevant language by the field office near the sponsor child's village. I noticed that the first letter from S----'s family was originally written in French, so I have tried to help by writing in French - my language skills aren't great but they are fine for general conversation - and supplied an English translation as well, just in case. In the case of S----'s family, their national language is French, but they speak local languages. I am not sure how well they speak French. As they cannot write, the letters are dictated to a local volunteer. I have tried to keep my letters simple, and always put a photo by my signature as well as enclosing photos and postcards, so they will have something to look at after my letter has been read to them.

In the case of D-----'s family, the guidelines are the same. I am not sure what languages they speak. However I have learnt that 90% of adults in Sri Lanka are literate and 10% speak English at a reasonable level because it is often used in business. I was told that D-----'s mother will be able to write to me (in fact D----- writes letters herself) and I enjoy learning about their languages and culture.

Correspondence and communication

To see the letters we have exchanged, and photographs and progress reports which I have received from my sponsor children's family, please follow the links below.

[These sections are under review and will be back online shortly.]

Other Sponsor Children

Many other people have websites about their sponsor children around the world; here is a selection.