Sharing through World Vision

Some years back I watched a DVD of the Jack Nicholson movie About Schmidt. I didn't like it, but there was one thing in it that struck me -- a subplot in which Nicholson corresponded with a child from Africa, whose education he was sponsoring through an outreach program. I found the idea interesting -- that you could not only support a child financially, but also form a relationship with him.

A few days after watching About Schmidt, I learned that there really were such outreach programs when I passed an orange and white booth in SM Megamall with the words "World Vision" on it. From the brochure I was handed, I learned that through this Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization called World Vision, you could sponsor a kid -- which meant making regular donations that would be used for the general welfare and development of the kid and his or her community, and also keeping a regular correspondence with your kid.

I got excited about it, but unfortunately the brochure and sign-up form just ended up in one of my piles of papers at home. It stayed there for several years. Even when I came across it again some months back and filled it up, I never got around to faxing it. Bad, bad me.

Luckily, I came across the World Vision booth again a few days back, in Robinsons Galleria.

Then and there I signed up to sponsor two kids. From a bunch of kids' profiles (you choose your beneficiaries), I chose the youngest boy, 8-year-old Aivan Kahlil, and the youngest girl, 7-year-old Hanna Mae, both of whom live in remote villages in Palawan. On a small piece of paper shaped like a pencil, I wrote each of them my first note: "Kumusta? Ako si Kuya Paulo, mahilig ako sa music. Kayo, ano mga hilig niyo? Ingatan niyo pamilya niyo at mag-aral kayo nang mabuti. Sana mas makilala ko pa kayo..."



The volunteers at the booth, Kenneth and Me-An, explained that I could write as often as I wanted, and I could also expect a letter from my sponsored kids at least once a quarter. And at the end of each year, I'd also get an update on the kids' community, photos, and a copy of the kids' grades. If I wanted, I could even ask for World Vision's help arranging to meet with my kids.


For each sponsored kid, P450 will be charged to my credit card each month. (You can also pay in cash or through check, but credit card is the most hassle-free.) The money goes to programs for the kids and their communities, to provide them education, safe water, medical assistance, health programs and livelihood trainings, among others. And with the relationship World Vision bridges between my kids and me, my monthly pledges become deeper and much more meaningful than a dole-out.

Personally, I'm excited to get my first letters from Aivan Kahlil and Hanna Mae; and excited too about where this will go over the next year. Maybe I'll sponsor more kids eventually.

Here's the welcome kit you get when you sign up for World Vision.
It includes a booklet explaining where donations go
and how you go about corresponding with your kids;
a brief on your sponsored kids' communities;
your sponsored kids' picture folders;
and as a bonus, a baller-type bracelet (is that what they're called?)
with the WorldVision logo on it.

What's sad is that I don't think World Vision gets that many donors. For a whole day in a busy mall like Robinsons Galleria, they're already happy with eight sponsorships in one day. That's why I'm writing -- because I promised the volunteers at the booth I'd tell my friends about World Vision, and hopefully get people interested in signing up.

So do visit http://www.blogger.com/www.worldvision.org.ph or http://www.wvi.org/ and find out more about World Vision. They also have booths in Galleria and Megamall this whole summer -- it only takes a few minutes to sign up. :)