Kirsty & Eva: A Life-Changing Choice
World Vision’s External Affairs Manager, Kirsty Jones, attended a World Vision Choosing Party in Tanzania where children pick their own sponsors. She reflects on her experience of being “Chosen”.
There is excitement, expectation and hope in the air. It’s the day of the World Vision Choosing Party in one of Tanzania’s poorest communities.
A Choosing Party gives children living in some of the world’s toughest places the opportunity to pick their own child sponsor. They select a sponsor from photos of generous, compassionate, and caring Kiwis who have the heart to be “Chosen”.
As the sun rises in the wide Tanzanian sky, I survey the scene before me: a large dusty, dry field, devoid of people, swirls of dust in the air and a small building in the distance. And yet, in just two hours, I’ll see this bare stretch of ground transformed. Three huge tents are brightly decorated with balloons, banners and ribbons. The children arrive in waves. Hundreds of them. All here to choose a New Zealander who will help support them to grow and thrive.
There is a party atmosphere. The children are noisy and excited. A group of girls chant as they jump rope together. A large band of kids swarm the field kicking a football and screaming for approval when they score a goal.
They are excited to play and show off their skills. I have been here a week and have not seen a real football once. Most kids use scrunched-up plastic bags bound together with rope to create a makeshift ball.
But the lack of a ball is the least of their worries. Every day while in this community, I’ve met children and families for whom poverty is real, urgent, and a part of every daily experience.
I think of the Samson family who have no choice but to drink dirty water that makes them sick. And young Dembele who walks three kilometres several times a day to collect clean water, sometimes missing school.
I think about the school where 250 students pile into one tiny classroom and the head teacher, who works tirelessly to keep these same kids in school.
These hardships sit heavy on my heart. But here at the Choosing Party, the aim is to give children the simple things that will transform their lives. Child Sponsorship will help provide clean water, food, healthcare, quality education, and protection from violence.
In addition to these benefits, sponsored children are regularly monitored, meaning they get routine health check- ups, are more likely to stay in school, and get the safety and security they need. It is Eva, a tiny slip of a girl with huge eyes, who ultimately selects my picture - choosing me as her child sponsor. She is a wee 7-year-old who seems overwhelmed and slightly unsure of herself. I sit with her and her mother for a bit as she draws at the activity table in the Choosing Party tent. Her mum can’t speak English and I can’t speak Swahili, but she grabs my arm and holds onto it tightly. We have a bond.
As I wave Eva and her mother off, I hope she leaves with the strength and confidence that comes with knowing she has an advocate, a supporter, and a champion on the other side of the world.
Right now, you can give a child like Eva the chance to choose you as their sponsor. Sign up now to be part of the next Choosing Party!
There is excitement, expectation and hope in the air. It’s the day of the World Vision Choosing Party in one of Tanzania’s poorest communities.
A Choosing Party gives children living in some of the world’s toughest places the opportunity to pick their own child sponsor. They select a sponsor from photos of generous, compassionate, and caring Kiwis who have the heart to be “Chosen”.
As the sun rises in the wide Tanzanian sky, I survey the scene before me: a large dusty, dry field, devoid of people, swirls of dust in the air and a small building in the distance. And yet, in just two hours, I’ll see this bare stretch of ground transformed. Three huge tents are brightly decorated with balloons, banners and ribbons. The children arrive in waves. Hundreds of them. All here to choose a New Zealander who will help support them to grow and thrive.
There is a party atmosphere. The children are noisy and excited. A group of girls chant as they jump rope together. A large band of kids swarm the field kicking a football and screaming for approval when they score a goal.
They are excited to play and show off their skills. I have been here a week and have not seen a real football once. Most kids use scrunched-up plastic bags bound together with rope to create a makeshift ball.
But the lack of a ball is the least of their worries. Every day while in this community, I’ve met children and families for whom poverty is real, urgent, and a part of every daily experience.
I think of the Samson family who have no choice but to drink dirty water that makes them sick. And young Dembele who walks three kilometres several times a day to collect clean water, sometimes missing school.
I think about the school where 250 students pile into one tiny classroom and the head teacher, who works tirelessly to keep these same kids in school.
These hardships sit heavy on my heart. But here at the Choosing Party, the aim is to give children the simple things that will transform their lives. Child Sponsorship will help provide clean water, food, healthcare, quality education, and protection from violence.
In addition to these benefits, sponsored children are regularly monitored, meaning they get routine health check- ups, are more likely to stay in school, and get the safety and security they need. It is Eva, a tiny slip of a girl with huge eyes, who ultimately selects my picture - choosing me as her child sponsor. She is a wee 7-year-old who seems overwhelmed and slightly unsure of herself. I sit with her and her mother for a bit as she draws at the activity table in the Choosing Party tent. Her mum can’t speak English and I can’t speak Swahili, but she grabs my arm and holds onto it tightly. We have a bond.
As I wave Eva and her mother off, I hope she leaves with the strength and confidence that comes with knowing she has an advocate, a supporter, and a champion on the other side of the world.
Right now, you can give a child like Eva the chance to choose you as their sponsor. Sign up now to be part of the next Choosing Party!