"I love writing messages to my sponsor."
15 July 2016
When you sponsor a child with ActionAid, you'll get two handwritten messages from them every year. Our staff collect these messages regularly from the children in their communities.
We make every message collection a special event for the children, and the whole community gets involved. For many children, it's the only opportunity they get to draw, paint, play and be creative.
Ayesha and her friends have been painting pictures for their sponsors at their playgroup in Bhakkar, Pakistan. "I did hand painting and it was fun. I feel joy when I do drawings for my sponsor," Ayesha told us. Photo: ActionAid
As well as making beautiful messages for their sponsors, children learn important life skills, and enjoy local snacks and drinks to celebrate their special role as ambassadors of their communities.
But don’t just take my word for it! Here’s what the children tell us.
“We do lots of fun activities like singing, listening to stories, drawing and making crafts like origami."
Nikita and friends learned origami at their ActionAid child sponsorship message collection in their village in India .
Painting brings kids pure joy
Six-year-old Lariab in Pakistan loves making pictures for her sponsor twice a year.
Today I learned how to use different colours and make prints with potatoes and onions – I have never done this before! I have been telling all my friends about it. Thank you ActionAid for letting us play with colours and make such nice things!"
Six-year-old Lariab in Pakistan loves making pictures for her sponsor .
“I love writing messages to my sponsor”
Nine-year-old Clement from Malawi told us: “I like drawing houses and most of the time I tell my sponsor about my health and education.”
“I cherish every moment of writing messages to my sponsor, as it links my sponsor with my community.”
Nine-year-old Clement in Malawi enjoys taking time to write messages and send drawings to his sponsor .
Children consider messages from sponsors as special gifts
If the postman delivering a child message makes your day, imagine this…
Child sponsorship already brings so much to the whole community, but there is a very simple way that you can make a real difference to your sponsored child – for just the cost of a stamp!
Children consider messages from sponsors as very special gifts. Most of these children do not have many belongings, which makes their messages extra special.
Laban Ndayisenga, one of our colleagues in Burundi, explains:
“Each time I visit the community to deliver messages from sponsors to the children, I am greeted like a superstar! Each child I meet greets me with lots of questions, like: ‘Did you come with letters from my sponsor?’ or ‘Did my sponsor send a photo to me?’
“Children consider messages from sponsors as very special gifts. Most of these children do not have many belongings, which makes their messages extra special.
“During a recent visit I met sponsored boy, Zephelin, at his school. He was excited to show me his collection of postcards he had received from his sponsor. He carefully keeps them together with his school notebooks.
The children were all full of smiles, running from one desk to another to read the letters and see the photos their friends had received. It was lovely to see how excited the children were and how much they value these messages.”
“While I was distributing letters from sponsors to the sponsored children at Zephelin’s school, the mood in the classroom completely changed.
The children were all full of smiles, running from one desk to another to read the letters and see the photos their friends had received. It was lovely to see how excited the children were and how much they value these messages.”
Zephelin, full of smiles, holding cards from his sponsor at school in Burundi .
It’s so easy to write to your sponsored child: a simple postcard, photo or short letter with a few lines means so much. You should have all the details you need about where to send your letter in your child sponsorship pack. But if not, just drop us a line at supportercontact@actionaid.org, or give us a call on 01460 238 000, and we'll be happy to help!
And if you don’t already sponsor a child with ActionAid – what are you waiting for? For just 65p a day you can make such a difference to a child’s life. And they'll be thrilled to send you their own messages, pictures and updates.
Find out more about child sponsorship
