"A top economist shares the astounding news about that little picture hanging on your refrigerator. Want to Change the World? Sponsor a Child" - June 2013 Christianity Today
"...that little picture hanging on your refrigerator." Seriously, did they know my plan? In February, I had 60 children who still needed a sponsor. I was wracking my brain to find a creative way to get more sponsors. So I did this...
...and posted it on Facebook.
It worked! Seeing all the unsponsored children immediately got 2 sponsored and it's been a slow trickle ever since. The fun part is, I went to Ethiopia in March (I am supporting FOVC's Christian school in southern Ethiopia and I'm responsible for the sponsorship of 150 orphaned and vulnerable children) and I had all the children make frames for their sponsor's refrigerator. I even had the unsponsored children make one for their future sponsor.
Then I came home and did this...
...and posted it on Facebook.
More children have been sponsored and as of today, I have 42 precious children left. Children who without sponsorship face the devasting impacts of poverty. "...poverty causes children to have very low self-esteem, low aspirations. The big difference that sponsorship makes is that it expands children's views about their own possibilities..." Sponsorship gives children HOPE!
There are at least 150,000,000 orphaned and/or vulnerable children in this world. I am helping 150, that's 0.000001% of them. According to the article about 9,000,000 children in the world are in sponsorship programs. That leaves 141,000,000 without help, without HOPE. The statistics can be overwhelming, crippling and for many people it keeps them from trying at all to make a difference yet...
"Child sponsorship appears to get under the hood of human beings to instill aspirations, character formation, and spiritual direction. In short, it trains people to be givers instead of receivers."
$34 a month doesn't seem world changing yet the long term impact of sponsoring a child can be huge! Children who are sponsored are 50-80% more likely to obtain a university degree and 35% more likely to get a white collar job. The study shows they often become leaders in their communities. I love the story of Maureen Owino, a Compassion International sponsor child, who grew up, graduated from university and is now running a ministry in Nairobi, Kenya in partnership with an American blogger. It is a huge success story, one of many.
I have a very diverse group of Facebook friends and people who read my blog but right now, I am speaking from MY heart. I am a dedicated follower of Jesus and my faith compels me to do this good work, to strive for obedience. The Bible is so blatantly clear that as a follower of Jesus I am to care...
"...Jesus does not ask that we care for the less fortunate, he demands it. When calling ourself Christ followers, caring for orphans and the desolate and the widow, are not an option, it's a requirement." - Katie Davis
I've had fellow Christians say, "It's so great to see YOUR passion for this, it's not mine but I think what you are doing is great." Oh no, you're not off the hook that easy. We are required to care for "the least of these...for orphans and widows in their distress...for the fatherless." It doesn't necessarily mean dedicating the amount of time I do, at the bare minimum it can be $34 a month, 1 child, 1 organization. I believe that every Christian should be dedicating some of their giving to povery alleviation and "according to a top economist" that little picture hanging on your refrigerator, is a great place to start!
For my non-religious friends, many of whom have HUGE hearts for the poor, for Ethiopia, this article has great news for all of us, SPONSORSHIP WORKS!
Opinion #1 - Children sponsorship works!
Opinion #2 - Sponsoring through my efforts is a great place to invest! Check out my Child Sponsorship tab or THIS LINK to learn more about my 42 little friends whose frames are waiting for a refrigerator.
March 2013
Shanto, Ethiopia
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