Wednesday, May 21, 2008

sponsor a child

One of our local radio station shows, The Bob Rivers Show (I used to babysit for him and his wife..their kids are in their 20's now, and it makes me feel old) is trying to get 1,000 kids in a village in Senegal sponsored. Bob Rivers went there a few weeks ago, and while he was there, he reported daily on what he was experiencing. Wow. It was intense.

Listen to the show's podcasts from April 28-May 5. It's good stuff.

Well, coincidentally at the time they were doing their radiothon for WorldVision, we had a reduction in our auto insurance. Like, a big reduction. It's really great and gives us some extra money in our budget, which means we could afford to sponsor a child. The problem is that WorldVision is a Christian organization and Wayne is so Atheistic that he cannot bring himself to give money to a Christian organization. Well, I can't really blame him because it says right on their site (from the FAQ):


Q: How does my sponsored child learn about Jesus?

A: In everything we do, World Vision's dedicated staff strives to model Jesus' example of love to children and the entire community. Like all of the Body of Christ, World Vision staff members are at various stages of maturity in faith. Yet our staff works hard to ensure that the way they live, the words they use, and the deeds they do point others to a loving God.

In countries where it is appropriate, World Vision also integrates Christian activities into our project work. For example, World Vision partners with local churches in the communities where we work, providing training for pastors and church teachers, mobilizing churches to care for the needy, and facilitating cooperation among community churches. We also arrange for interested children to attend events such as Bible camps or clubs so they can learn more about the Christian faith.

World Vision's desire is to follow Christ so that His love and life can be experienced by community members, young and old alike. If you have other questions about your sponsored child's spiritual training, please write to our office. When you write, please include your account number and child identification number found in your monthly statement.


I think I've found a program, though, that is not operated by a Christian based group that has a quality child sponsorship program. They receive the same ratings as WorldVision through www.charitywatch.org. It's called PlanUSA.

I will look into it further, but I have a good feeling that PlanUSA is the one to go with.

3 comments:

RedSpiral said...

I"m a fan of Children of the Nations - they're a Christian org that does work in Dominican Republic and a few different countries in Africa. They're the ones who helped me get all those goods I gathered for Malawi to Sierra Leone instead (I couldn't get them to Malawi, and SL needed them even more). I'm not even a Christian, they never asked, they just helped out and were so incredible. Their home office is in Silverdale. :) www.cotni.org

Anonymous said...

This isn't quite the same thing, but we give a monthly donation to hope link, which operates local food banks. It's a great organization and a very, very high percentage of funds raised go directly to services for lower income residents. Hope Link doesn't have any religous affiliation-- that I know of.

Anonymous said...

I've worked for Plan USA for 17 years now and I was glad to read this blog. My faith is personal and I don't feel it has a place in how to help people living in poverty. I have had an opportunity to see Plan's work overseas and learn first hand how Plan works closely within communities giving a voice to the children and having the families participate in what they need to become self sufficient. This is achieved when you respect peoples cultures and give them the dignity they deserve. Plan started as Foster parents Plan in 1937 so there is a rich and reputable history of great work. Thanks for this opportunity to share and I hope you choose an organization that is good for you. Of course Plan USA is high on my list.