Receiving a special donation is a rare and special treat for most sponsored children. Even rarer and more special is when they receive visits from their sponsors.
That’s why Katherine, from Guayaquil, Ecuador, is such a lucky girl.
Besides receiving an abundance of special donations such as groceries, clothing, household supplies, furniture, mattresses, construction materials to improve her house and even cakes for her birthday parties and her graduation, she has received help with special training in computers and also with her college education. But most importantly, her sponsor visits her at least once a year.
Katherine dearly appreciates the gifts she has received, but there is something else she values even more: the privilege of having a friend who cares about her, who visits her and writes her affectionately. In fact, her sponsor, Gary, is like a grandfather to her.
“I feel so happy and grateful that my sponsor chose me,” states Katherine.
Gary’s help has made a tangible difference in Katherine’s life. For most of her life, she avoided smiling. “I didn’t like to smile; I started smiling when I was 17,” says Katherine, who is now 19. But her sponsor helped her obtain orthodontic treatment, and now she shares her beautiful smile with everyone.
To add to her reason for smiling, Katherine, who recently finished high school, is now studying Foreign Trade – with help from her sponsor – at Vicente Rocafuerte Secular University.
It means a lot to Katherine when Gary writes. “He’s the only person who writes to me….He’s very affectionate – he’s like a grandfather to me….He speaks only English and I need a translator to talk to him, but now at the university I’ll take English classes. I really want to learn to speak with my sponsor”.
Katherine’s mother, Eufemia, braved a bout with the dengue fever to meet with us and let us know how much she appreciates Children International and her daughter’s sponsor – and what they have done for Katherine.
“The help Children International gives is fabulous,” declares Eufemia. “People like my daughter’s sponsor get involved to help our Ecuadorian children. The affection they show the children is so great…we feel blessed.”
In Katherine’s words, “My sponsor is one of the greatest people in the world! I want to let people know that other children would feel as fortunate as I do if they could have a sponsor to be their friend, to show them that there are people out there who care about them.”
Patricia Huerta is the communications coordinator for Children International's agency in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
1 comment:
great story
everyone could do the same if they wanted to. these kids are so special and all they need is to know that someone cares for them.
once you go see you child, i promise you will go again and have the best time you have ever had in your life.
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