“Wow, I like that necklace,” I said, lifting it up for a better look at the lovely cross.
“It’s from my sponsor,” replied Mari her face beaming with pride.
I enjoyed hearing responses like this from children whose sponsors had communicated with them. Her reaction showed the importance of relationship in a sponsorship program. As a nonprofit organization, a long list of needs is met by others who make donations toward the care of needy children. One form of these donations comes through a sponsorship program. People who commit to the program give a specific amount of money monthly for one child. The money is used for the child’s education, medical needs, clothing, food, and much more, including the monthly expenses for the casitas.
I became acquainted with this type of program many years ago, before I left Montana, when I signed up to help a young boy in Mexico. I received a letter from him at various times and had his picture posted on my refrigerator. However, I must confess that in my financial struggles, I stopped sending a monthly donation. I regret that decision, because I could have continued if I had made some better choices with my money. Now that I work with and am around children who are supported, I see how important these programs are for them. Yes, they are a great tool for helping orphanages operate, but they also affect the hearts of these kids. There is more to the true sponsoring of a child.
I would like to share a few comments the older girls have made regarding being sponsored:
1. “It felt good to know that someone wanted me, even though they were not my biological family.”
2. “I have an opportunity for school, clothes, food, and other areas of need.”
3. “I looked forward to the sponsor visit, because I had the opportunity to get to know them.”
4. “My favorite time with my sponsor is to play and talk. They show me love, and I love them.”
5. “My sponsor makes me feel like I am part of their family.”
6. “I would like to tell sponsors that even though they can’t come to Guatemala for a visit, the letters they send are very important to us kids. We want to know more about their lives.”
The sponsorship program at Shadow of His Wings Orphanage encourages a relationship between the 
sponsor and the child and her house parents. It’s easy to accomplish this with social media, and the children glow when they connect with their family. These kids feel a stronger sense of belonging when they have the love of the sponsor family come alongside the love of their Shadow family. When they have come to us thinking they are trash, a huge component of the true sponsoring of a child turns these young ones in a positive direction. It gives them hope for the future.
My favorite memories are at Christmastime when those who are sponsored come to the office to receive the gift from their sponsor family. The presents wait below the decorated tree, and the kids can hardly wait for their name to be called. They give shouts of joy when opening the gifts and run to their friends to share their treasures.
Shadow has an established sponsorship program. If you are interested in checking it out, click on this link and read how you can be involved in making a difference in the life of a child.
http://www.shadowofhiswingsorphanage.org/http://www.shadowofhiswingsorphanage.org
Thanks Carroll for this your latest update. We so enjoy reading your blog. However in this blog about sponsorship it appears there have been changes of which I’m not aware. At the time i began this program, out was my understanding i could not communicate directly with my sponsored child and neither could I give her a personal gift. Did I misunderstand?
Hi Leilani, I’m not sure how you got the message about no communicating with a child but it is encouraged at Shadow. There are guidelines to follow but interaction is encouraged. I’m so sorry that wasn’t made clear to you. It’s not too late my friend.
I was told communicating by snail mail was the only way to communicate though. Correct?
Communicating by snail mail allows the children to have a letter or card that they can hold in their hands. They save those letter forever. It makes them feel very important, so to me, it is one of the best ways to communicate other than a visit. Usually it takes only a couple of weeks to get mail from the States. Your little gal will be blessed:)
Thanks much Carroll. Obviously a visit would be the best way of communicating we care, but I thought chatting might add another more personal way of communicating. However, I understand having a “hard copy” to keep is good too. I will continue the snail mail as I have in the past. 🙂
Look for a lovely thing and
you will find it— it’s never far away.
Leilani Blackburn
Great post! I love the personal side of your sponsorship program. I worked with one of the largest such programs in the world. Sadly, each child had about six sponsors and they sent a letter from the child to each one as a photocopy. When the same letter went out two months in a row, I wondered who had really written the letter. Sounds like yours is more child-centered than just the monthly donations. fantastic program for the kids.
Spammed again! Because of the mailing system, the children’s letters are sent out with team members to mail (snail mail) in the States. It’s a riot to watch kids come to the office and write thank yous for the birthday gifts they received. The process of communication is slow because of the translating that is needed on both ends, but the good news is that it happens. The older girls, who have access to computers and internet, are using FB. It’s fun to see the interaction between them and sponsors; a few encouraging words here and there make a huge difference.
Thanks so much Carroll for this corrected information! I look forward tho more personal correspondence with our gal! ?