Tables have turned

Dear Mrs. Nieman,

This is Lisseloz, writing on behalf of your sponsored child Daichela. The child is very happy to be able to write for telling you what activities and places she likes most. We visit the church. She likes to go to the park and the rivers. She likes to play and to share with the others. She likes to eat fruit and candies. She is a very quiet and friendly child. She is understanding and obedient.

Thank you for all you do for your sponsored child!

-Daichela and her aunt, Lisseloz, say bye.

This journey has already given me so many things in return, besides wonderful letters like this one. Thinking I would be on the receiving end of this sponsorship journey really wasn’t what I envisioned, but the tables have certainly turned, and I’ve been completely blessed by two beautiful children that I’ve never met.

I know I cannot change the life of every suffering child in the world, and there are much worse cases than the children living in the Dominican Republic. But if I can take a few steps to let these two small children I’ve sponsored know that they are being cared for through small donations, a few letters and prayed for along the way, why not? These children have so much to offer their community, and the world, if only given the chance.

A parent's vision

Not long after choosing to sponsor José, we received a letter from his and Daichela's family:

Dear Mrs. Nieman,

I am very grateful of you for choosing José as your sponsored child. At the same time I want to tell you that you have a wonderful sponsored child. He likes to share and play. He likes to be nice dressed. Well, thank you so much.

-With love says goodbye of you from José and his aunt.

Because José was in the same family as Daichela, we received most of the same information about their living conditions as before. The detail of their family income being a meager $57 (US dollars) a month stood out a little more now that we were sponsoring both children.

Jose’s aunt had mentioned in the letter that he liked to share. I hoped that as I was sharing what little I could with these two beautiful children they would continue to share with those around them as they grew into adults.

Isn't that really any parent’s vision for their children, whether they are sponsored children or biological children?

And then there were two

I knew when we initially sponsored Daichela that she had a younger brother and I was curious if he actually had a sponsor himself. The representative said that her brother was only two and the children really needed to be three years old before they could be entered into the sponsorship program. I asked if there was any way to be given the opportunity to sponsor him as well when he turned three.

Well, fate brought Daichela to us, and then fate brought us her brother, José, too. He turned three only a few weeks after the conversation with the representative.

A month later we had a photo of our newest little sponsored child and he was absolutely adorable! Everything we had been doing for Daichela through sponsorship we would from then on be doing for him as well.

I really hoped that by helping support the two small children of this family that it would relieve a small amount of pressure this single mother must feel trying to raise her two young children with scarce resources.

Gift of self-confidence

For Easter last spring, we sent the children’s organization a small designated donation to be used to help purchase special gifts for the children to celebrate the Easter holiday that would be arriving soon.

The organization mentioned that all the children registered in the program get an Easter gift so no one feels left out. The donation we sent for Easter helps the organization cover the costs of those gifts. The staff members meet with the families beforehand to figure out what would be best for the child as well as what they would enjoy receiving.

A few weeks later we received a letter saying the organization purchased Daichela a new school uniform which consisted of a khaki skirt and a blue cotton shirt. It said it was important for all of the children to look nice and feel comfortable when they go to school each day in their uniforms. Because the children in Daichela's village were required to wear uniforms to school, I was hoping the few little dollars we provided would help ease the burden of her family having to try to cover the cost of her clothing for school.

Getting new school clothes is always exciting, even in my household, but I would imagine the day she returned to school she felt pretty self-confident walking in the classroom in new clothes that were purchased especially for her.

Building relationships

Dear Wendy,

Thank you for the letter and he picture you send to my niece. She liked it very much and she is happy to receive it. Daichela is very well. She says your children are beautiful. She always prays for you. She goes to school every day and she has very good grades. She likes to play, to paint and to read. Thank you so much for your attention. May God bless you and your family always.

Sincerely,

-Daichela and her aunt, Quircia

What a surprise it was to open the mail box and get a letter like that from someone you’ve prayed for, and find out that they were also praying for you. Very heartwarming.

What started out for me as a project of child sponsorship, in which I thought I would be helping by giving this little girl opportunities for a healthy, more educated life, has now turned into so much more. The thought of building a relationship with this little girl, as well as her family, was very exciting.

In return

Even though at times my family’s financial situation has been stretched to its limits, my kids had never gone without a gift on their birthdays. With families like Daichela’s, I assumed that presents for birthdays just aren’t in the budget of a household where the only working parent makes less than $100 in a month. That kind of strain might leave children like her feeling hopeless or overwhelmed by the challenges that face them at a very early age.

My hope was that by sending the gifts and letters it might make a difference on how Daichela sees herself and the world around her as well as possibly build her self-esteem and confidence.

Soon after sending the few little gifts we gathered for her, I got a letter from the children’s organization saying Daichela loved them all and they purchased a pair of casual shoes for her to play in. The letter also mentioned that they try to purchase gifts for the children that are practical and that the kids still get very excited no matter what the gift is. Some of the children get so wound up about receiving a gift on their birthday that they often don’t sleep well the night before.

Shouldn’t children's birthdays always be that exciting?

A smile on her face

Daichela’s birthday was to arrive in late February of 2010 and she would be turning six years old. Though I wouldn’t be able to spend time with her on her birthday I wanted to do something special for her. I wanted to make sure she knew we were thinking about her on her birthday.

We decided to send her stickers and a birthday card as well as a drawing my daughter drew for her. We sent a small donation to the children’s organization for her too so the staff at the community center in the Dominican Republic would be able to pick out and purchase a few special, but practical gifts for her. The community center staff members know her and her family and would be able to select something especially for her, whether it was something she desperately needed or maybe even something she really wanted.

Some of the impoverished families in Daichela’s community can’t afford to provide anything for their children’s birthdays, so hopefully the little that I provided put a smile on her face.

Our first letter

After the New Year we received our first correspondence from little, Daichela. Because she is only 5 and unable to write the letter herself, the letter was written for her by her mother in Spanish and then translated for us by the children’s organization.

Dear Mrs. Nieman,

I am very grateful of you for your kindness choosing Daichela as your sponsored child. She is very shy. She likes to ride bike. She is very smart and she likes to paint and talk. She is very lovely and sentimental. Her favorite food is fried food and she loves to eat and to sing. Her favorite subjects in school are Art and Spanish. I pray you like my daughter a lot. With love says goodbye of you.

-Daichela and her mother

How could I not have loved her? Her favorite subject is art; she loves to paint, is sentimental, and likes to talk. Hmmm… Divine plan?

I immediately wrote a letter back to Daichela and her mother telling them a little about myself and my family. I also included a photo and told them how excited I was to get their letter and wished them well.

The area in which Daichela lives is known for its sandy beaches and tropical weather. What tourists to the Caribbean area don’t get to witness is the poverty of the local communities.  I learned that with my sponsorship Daichela will be provided with access to a community center that was built by the children’s organization. My sponsorship also covers the cost of clothing, shoes, basic healthcare needs and educational support. In turn, I would receive letters from her and her family about twice a year telling me about her as well as progress reports from the children’s organization on her health and activities.

What an exciting adventure this will be for both Daichela and I.