Hope

“For pennies a day, you can make a difference in a child’s life. Call today!” We’ve all seen the commercials on TV asking you to pick up the phone and pledge to sponsor a child in a far-off country, and we develop a degree of immunity to these appeals. It’s easy to wonder how mere “pennies a day” can really help in terms of the massive needs in these countries. However, I have to say that these ad campaigns are not trying to deceive you. Sponsoring a child can provide opportunities for children that would not be able to go to school otherwise, and (please pardon the cliché,) it DOES make a difference!

Today, I had the privilege of meeting up with the girl that I have sponsored, and she is an example of someone that has truly benefitted from a relatively small financial investment. In a country where girls face many challenges trying to finish primary let alone secondary school, she has graduated from O-Level and has earned a post-secondary certificate in accountancy. She is hoping to go on and earn a diploma from a school in Kampala, which will allow her to get a higher paying job. She is a bright, determined young woman whose eyes lit up as she described her ultimate goal of working in a bank. However, without sponsorship, she would not have been able to afford school fees and would have little chance of breaking the poverty cycle. It is such an honour to see firsthand how the gift of education has changed someone’s life.

She was on her way to Kampala today, but she wanted to interrupt her journey in Masaka to meet up with me and greet me (a very important thing to do in this culture.) She was waiting for me outside a cafe and when I got out of the car, she rushed over with a big smile on her face to give me a hug. We visited for maybe 20 minutes or so and she gave me a woven straw mat that she’d made. She told me that her family sent their greetings and was praying for me, and her smile got even bigger when I told her that I also brought greetings from my family. It was so great to sit across the table from her and make that personal connection.

The needs here are real and the challenge is great. However, it is not hopeless. A straw mat presented to me by an ambitious young woman is all the proof I need.