One of the greatest joys a child receives is a letter from his or her sponsor. Sponsored children usually save all of the letters they receive and read them over and over again, they are such a source of encouragement and love for them.
Writing to your sponsored child is so important, but it might sometimes be a little difficult to think of things to write–especially at first, when you’re just getting to know them. The following are some letter-writing tips that might help. You can also use this GREAT acronym to guide you.
G — Greeting
R — Remember something your sponsored child has said in his/her last letter and build on it.
E — Explain something about yourself or your world.
A — Ask your sponsored child questions about his/her life.
T — Ta Ta! Say your goodbyes. This is a great place to share a Bible verse and a word of encouragement.
In addition to telling your child about your family, church, work, spiritual life, interests, hobbies, pets, etc., consider talking to your child about the following things:
Note: Please be conscientious and sensitive about sharing information, stories, or pictures that would show or describe the stark economic contrast between your living situation and your child’s.
To get your letter to your child quicker, simply type out or hand-write and scan your letter then email it to our Child Sponsorship Coordinator, TyAnn Hunt, at tyannhunt@forwardedge.org.
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7 yrs. old
Entered the program: March 2023
Sayidatu lives with her parents and three brothers brother in a one-bedroom mud house with a thatch roof. Her oldest brother sleeps at a friend's house nightly due to lack of space. The home is in poor condition, and they have no latrine. There is electricity in the village but the family cannot afford to be connected to it. There is no access to potable water. The village women and girls fetch water from a local dam until it dries up, then they must travel long distances to find other sources. The area the family lives in has poor sanitation which poses a health hazard.
Sayidatu’s family is Muslim. Her parents are both unemployed and can barely provide the basic necessities. They live on less than a dollar a day and usually must rely on relatives to help them feed their children. Before joining Create Hope, paying to keep Sayidatu in school was an extreme challenge.
