Sponsored Children Would Like to Know...
Sponsored children rarely interact with outsiders. As their only sponsors, what should we talk about to help them know us and the outside world better?
Topics that seem ordinary to us may turn out to be interesting for sponsored children, allowing them to know more about their sponsors. In the 9th issue of our "Discovery Sponsorship Journey", we will go through some popular questions raised by sponsored children, perhaps these can inspire you as you try to break the ice. Besides, observing what your child is curious about may help you understand more about his or her circumstances and thoughts!
(Make a guess: What is the most common opening line written by sponsors to their children? Answer at the end of this article!)
Well, it can be a bit awkward, but it is just kids being kids! For them, family members are people they interact with the most, introducing your family can help them understand you more easily! Moreover, without meeting you in person, they can only imagine how you look according to your description, so if you don't mind, you may as well send a photo of yours.
For children who live in fields, seeing wild animals, raising livestock, or growing vegetables at their houses are all part of their everyday life, so it is natural that they ask questions related to these. The very different lifestyles actually create topics for you and your sponsored children to talk about. During the global pandemic a few years ago, when sponsors and children faced the same challenges, not only sponsors were able to show their care for sponsored children, sponsored children actually reciprocated, reminding sponsors to wash their hands frequently!
Most of the sponsored children live in villages, and they may have heard a little bit about life in the city. So some of them are interested in knowing more about the lives of their sponsors, such as: which floor do they live on, what is an elevator, what types of jobs there are in the city, what types transportation are available, etc.
A Little Girl's Heartfelt Sharing
An 11-year-old Cambodian girl, Sotheary, wrote a letter in Khmer to her sponsor, which was translated into English by a local volunteer. The letter says,"Knowing that you care about me makes me so happy!"Not every child is as expressive as Sotheary, but by reading their questions and words closely, it helps to understand more.
The most common opening lines used by sponsors
We just asked you to make a guess in the beginning of this article, regarding the most common opening sentence in a sponsor's letter.
"I've been too busy lately, sorry for the late reply."
Have you ever written something similar before?
It is true that life can be busy and we may not be able to write frequently, but sending a letter occasionally can show that you care, and it is nice to give each other blessings from time to time. Other than writing physical letters, through our e-letter system you can upload and share photos with your sponsored children in just a few steps. You can also choose the theme of the letter and add a few simple lines, just to show your children that you care:
Write an e-letter: https://my.worldvision.org.hk/app/en/journey/eletter
If there are any questions about sponsorship, or other topics that you would like us to cover, please send us an email at [email protected] to "Discovery Sponsorship Journey". Your questions may become the topic of our upcoming issue!
