We thought it best to let some of our child sponsors speak for themselves about their experiences. We hope that each sponsor gains something from their sponsorship – big or small – and the experiences speak for themselves.
We live in a country where our children have access to anything they could want when it comes to freedoms. Not only are their basic needs met but they also have access to education and a home which is safe and secure. There are a few goals we have in raising our children; one of them is to ensure they comprehend how lucky they are to live in the country they do, another is that they truly understand the importance of giving service or support to others.
This is where Beyond the Orphanage has come into our lives. When our family heard that Beyond the Orphanage was an organisation which believes in keeping orphaned children with extended family while providing them with an education, we were very excited. Then, after looking into Beyond the Orphanage further and seeing their personalised approach to the work with orphans and their sponsors we were totally on board!
We are now proud sponsors of a young girl in Ethiopia. Her eyes tell of the sadness she has already experienced in her short life but there is also hope in her letters and the recent photos we have seen. Hope that life can be better. If our small contribution to Beyond the Orphanage can provide this to one person then we have nothing but gratitude for all those hard working volunteers who manage and support the organisation. Beyond the Orphanage has made it possible for families like ours to help someone else and that can be nothing short of good.
We are aware, every day, that we are fortunate to enjoy good health and a comfortable lifestyle, and we are equally aware that there are many whose best days could never equal our worst. It is important to us to try to make a difference, in a number of ways, to help improve the lives of those who are less fortunate – especially the children of the world, as they are our future.
When our friend ‘shared’ a Beyond the Orphanage post, it really caught our attention as it rang all the bells that we feel need ringing. We read every single word on the Beyond the Orphanage website and became more and more sure that we wanted to be involved, somehow, with this outstanding organisation.
Now we are very proud to sponsor three of the gorgeous Beyond the Orphanage children, and it will be our great privilege to travel to Addis Ababa to meet our kids and to see Beyond the Orphanage ‘in action’, so to speak. Though we’ve only seen photos and received a couple of letters, our boy and our two girls are already a big part of our lives, and we can’t imagine being without them. To actually be able to spend time with them will be amazing!
If we could say one thing to those who will read this message, it would be that it takes less than the cost of a daily cafe latte to make such a huge difference in a young life, but it’s life-changing for both the child and for the sponsor.