Children are a family's hope for the future. When communities are impoverished, the children suffer and hearts are discouraged. Child sponsorship has proven effective in helping individual children, families, and communities partner together to plan and implement improvements that benefit everyone, lifting people's eyes to a tomorrow filled with promise.

Karla Elizabeth Muyus Guillen, 3, stands in the doorway of her new home. World Vision helped her community in Chinautla, Guatemala, resurrect homes devastated by flooding caused by Hurricane Mitch.

Sponsorship Breaks a Generational Curse
Three generations from one family are benefiting from World Vision's work in Rakai, Uganda, as a result of child sponsorship. Twelve-year-old Prossy Namyalo remarks, "Attending Primary One in Kyanika Primary School is only the beginning of fulfilling my dream of becoming a teacher."

World Vision has constructed 19 primary schools with 200 classrooms in Rakai that serve entire communities of children whether they are sponsored or not. The old schools, with grass-thatched roofs, mud walls, and earthen floors, have been replaced by new buildings. Students now study at desks instead of sitting on the ground.

Prossy's mother, Peace Nangabi, and grandmother, Sebastia Nakalema, both dropped out of school as young girls because their parents could not afford the fees. Although the government now covers school fees for primary-age children, World Vision provides Prossy's school supplies, lesson books, and uniforms. She has the opportunity to complete the education her mother and grandmother missed.

Prossy Namyalo (front right) in class. On her right is Paulo Ssewankambo, 8, followed by Ivan Ssekyondwa, 7. The education these Ugandan children receive will help them follow their dreams.

Sebastia is a believer in the area development project that is funded through child sponsorship. World Vision trained Sebastia and hundreds like her as traditional birth attendants and community health workers who help deliver and immunize the communities' children. They also teach villagers about nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation, improving life for all.

Business Loan Increases the Family's Resources
Involved in another aspect of community development, Peace received a grant of passion fruit cuttings from the project in 1996. Now with vines of her own, she harvests the fruit twice a year, remembering that her family rarely had enough to eat before this crop provided an income.

In addition, Peace is one of 2,546 people who have taken part in a World Vision-supported microenterprise program in Rakai. Through its auspices, she received a small loan to begin a passion fruit nursery. Peace now has 300 seedlings and plans to cultivate 5,000, thereby increasing her family's income and paying back the loan. World Vision will use the repaid funds to help another family access a small-business loan.

World Vision's child sponsorship has helped Prossy, Peace, and Sebastia enjoy a healthier and more prosperous life. New opportunities also lie ahead for sponsored child Samuel Raj, who recently visited the United States with World Vision's Youth Ambassadors.

The Youth Ambassadors are a harmonious group of 50 young people from 50 different countries, many of whom share personal stories that include firsthand experiences of ethnic and religious conflict, hardship, and poverty. The performing arts troupe's message of peace and reconciliation is heartfelt, honest, and full of wisdom for those with ears to hear.

Samuel Raj (center) visits with his U.S. sponsors, Laura and Don Lindahl. This talented, energetic young man's future is bright as a result of his experience as a sponsored child.

Sponsored Child Meets His U.S. "Parents"
Samuel exclaims, "It's a dream for me... a God-given gift!" Not only was he able to perform with similarly talented youth on their six-week world tour this summer, but for the first time he met his U.S. sponsors, Don and Laura Lindahl. Like other long-term World Vision sponsors, they had faithfully corresponded with, prayed for, and supported "their child" for nearly 15 years.

In India, Samuel's family experienced discrimination as a result of their Christian faith, forfeiting property in his father's hometown and ending up in a one-room dwelling without electricity or indoor plumbing in the slums of Madras. Before Don and Laura began sponsoring Samuel, the family's average monthly income was 500 rupees, about US$9. Without help, Samuel's parents would never have been able to afford his education.

Monthly sponsorship contributions, such as the Lindahls provided, help communities work with World Vision staff to choose interventions that will benefit the residents. Improvements such as wells, agricultural inputs, health care, micro-enterprise loans, or education and literacy projects lift families out of poverty, bringing help and hope to all the children in the area.

Since graduating from high school, Samuel has been studying political science at Madras Christian College. Now in his final year, he also is working toward a diploma in computer engineering. Samuel plans a career in the government or in computer technology.

A Life-Changing Relationship
In a visit with the Lindahls, Samuel shares his experiences and they listen, eyes shining with love. The affection flows freely as Samuel refers to Don and Laura as his "U.S. parents" and they call him "a special child of ours."

This relationship not only has changed Samuel's life, but the Lindahls' as well. They are sponsoring more children, convinced that they can make a difference in the world--one child at a time. Don Lindahl says, "I pray Samuel will use whatever advantage he's gained to God's glory." Samuel remarks, "I thank my parents [referring to the Lindahls], my Lord, and World Vision."

Women and girls worldwide are less educated than their male counterparts. Approximately 41 percent of Indian girls under the age of 14 do not attend school, but Nagaratnamma studies in the morning before her classes in Nireckshadara, India. Child sponsorship funds enable World Vision to provide both girls and boys with an education in its area development projects around the globe.


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