About five and a half years ago, I selected a 10-year-old African girl from World Vision's list of "Hope Children" - children whose communities had been devastated by AIDS. Over the past five years, we have exchanged cards and letters, and I have received annual pictures that allowed me to watch her grow from a child into a young woman. World Vision allows sponsors to send additional donations earmarked, for example, as a Christmas gift to a sponsored child. Last Christmas she used her money to purchase not only some school clothes and household goods but to invest in some livestock to support her family. I was proud of her wisdom and the entrepreneurial spirit she was developing.
I guess I always sort of assumed I would be supporting her until she aged out of the system, and I hoped that as an adult, she might still wish to be in contact with me as friends. However, I recently received notice from World Vision that her family has moved outside of the service area and she is thus no longer in the sponsorship program. With all my heart, I hope this move means more opportunities and resources for her and her family, but at the same time I am deeply saddened at the loss of our relationship. In fact, I has been far harder on me than I had anticipated, probably because of the suddenness and the finality. I will probably never know where she went, how she is doing, or what happens to her in the future. All I can do is continue praying for her well-being and be grateful for the short time that I was blessed to know her.
I've never sponsored a child so don't know how it works.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, doesn't she have your address? Wasn't she writing to you - or does it go through the agency?
If everything went through the agency, I'm guessing they must know where she lives now. Could you perhaps request that they forward a letter from you that would indicate in it that you would love to hear from her in the future if she wishes to correspond (and of course your address would be in the letter)?
Just wondering as it would seem to me that it would benefit the girl to be able to continue the friendship/mentorship... ??
In any event, I'm sorry for your loss. It's hard to grow attached to someone, come to care for them, and have them disappear from your life like that. :(
Thank you for your ideas, Gumby. All correspondence goes through the World Vision field office, and WV supplies the children with the resources to write and send letters. From the materials they have sent me so far, I have the impression that WV might not even have the child's current contact information (they described the move as "unexpected"), but perhaps I need to pursue this further.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this, I am sponsoring a little girl in Africa too and although I hope we will stay in touch for many years (she's only 7), now I will have to take into account the fact that it may not be so simple, and prepare for it. I'm sorry you lost touch with her, I hope you will be able to reconnect somehow.
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