This post contains affiliate links.
So every year we had done the Christmas Angels program and other Toys for Tots programs to get toys for a needy kid here in Arizona, but this year my wife proposed something different to the children and their reaction and enthusiasm toward it really increased my pride level by a couple of thousand experience points.
My wife at dinner last night proposed the idea of sponsoring a kid in need all year long instead of just getting one time presents for a child, this would provide necessities and more than simply a toy or present for Christmas and the children would be allowed to search and find the kid they want to help.
Sure enough my son’s who are 7 and 10 years old spent about 20 minutes on https://www.children.org/ and after searching through various countries, they on their own decided on chose a child from Zambia who was 7 years old. The reason they said were first and foremost that the kid was on the Most Needy List and the read how Lameck slept on a floor mat in a concrete wall house with concrete roof and there was no electricity, they had only a community water supply. Both of my kids lit up and immediately started thinking how they can help, Oliver wanted to donate as many items in his closet as he could find and suggested we buy him a proper bed.
The great thing is now they will be able to write letters, keep in touch electronically too as both your sponsored child and your family get to share photos, emails and more. The kids also wondered how Lameck would read their letters if they wrote him in English and Lameck spoke Nyanja. I mentioned how we could use Google Translate and send two copies, and probably there would be someone to read him the letters. Of course on my first sweep I couldn’t find any Nyanja language translation as it isn’t an option in Google Translate but I am sure I can find something.
Meanwhile, I was so proud of my boys for the enthusiasm and altruism they showed in wanting to help and sponsor a child in need all year long. I also was really glad my wife came up with the idea and presented to the children and let them decide which course of donation they wanted to pursue this year.
I know that my kids will help make the world a better place someday in their own way, they will touch some peoples lives and if everyone just connected and helped a few others lives, the world would be so much better off.