He lives in Rwanda. He is in third grade. His birthdate is November 20, 2000. He does not have siblings and is lucky to live with both of his parents.His family lives in a very dry area. He and his mother spend hours every day hauling water from a shallow well. Many people in his village suffer from worms and other hygiene problems. They are mostly subsistence farmers who grow cassava and sunflowers, but half of the community can not meet their own daily caloric needs. The lack of a balanced diet has caused rampant malnutrition. Malaria is a constant problem as well. Especially for children. The health center is overwhelmed and inadequate. The parents in his village hold education in high esteem. They have contributed from their meager resources to school materials and built classrooms. But there are no sanitary facilities, school desks, drinking water, or enough classrooms to accommodate the children.
Our family has chosen to be a financial sponsor for Irakunda and his family. We donate about $35 a month to help provide more food, health care, and community improvements. We have had this honor for about a year and a half. We are able to send letters and photos to him. He is able to write back to us. His last letter, received just this past Saturday, made me weep.
To my dearest parents,
How are you doing? We are all doing well. We are very glad to receive your card and Sierra's drawing. We love you and pray for you.
Thanks,
Irakunda
Do you know what made me cry? The "dearest parents" line . For $35 a month I can impact a little boy in Africa to the point that he greets me as his parent. Somehow our tiny contribution and quarterly letters have earned us that title.
So I encourage you to adopt your own child. This adoption through child sponsorships is painless! Seriously, $35 a month does not even pay for pizza and a movie. But that $35 will double another family's monthly income! (In actuality the family is not given a check for $35, but the organization uses your money pooled with the sponsorships of other children and families to do amazing things in a community.) There are MANY organizations that you can sponsor children through.
Here are links to several:
www.compassion.com (Compassion International)
www.fh.org (Food For the Hungry)
www.worldvision.org (World Vision)
www.childrensheaven.org (In Ethiopia, we may visit this one)
I dare you to make a difference today!
