Someone from Abroad Cares About Me
“When the COVID-19 pandemic [broke out] in the West Bank, World Vision provided my son’s school with the essential protection equipment and provided my son and his peers with personal hygiene tool kits,” said Sahar, a mother of Mohammad, 9, a sponsored child with World Vision JWG.
“These hygiene kits given to our children decreased the financial burden on the household, as they included soap, a towel, a sanitizer, face masks, etc., which lessened some of the fees my husband had to pay for the COVID-19 protection equipment of the family.” said Fatima, a mother of Mais, 9, a sponsored child with World Vision JWG.
Every year during Christmas period, World Vision sponsored children receive celebration cards from their sponsors. They also receive cards from their sponsors for other occasions during the year, such as their birthdays. Although these cards are just a piece of paper, for the sponsored children these cards have a huge meaning. “I feel very happy when I receive a card from my sponsor. It makes me feel that someone from abroad cares about me and wants to be my friend,” says Aileen, 8, another sponsored child from the same village. “Having a sponsor makes me more encouraged to wake up in the morning, go to school, study harder and get better grades at school, so that next time I write a letter to them, I tell them about my achievements.” Mohammad adds to that: “I feel very happy when receiving these cards, I even show them to my friends at school.”
Because of World Vision’s community-focused solutions, for every child a sponsor help, four more children benefit, too. Not only that, but the whole family of a sponsored child benefits as well. Most mothers in the communities World Vision JWG works with enroll in Go Baby Go project trainings, the Positive Discipline sessions, and Celebrating Families sessions. These three involve mothers and fathers in discussions over what is the best way they can use to deal with their children and with each other, and what is the best environment they can provide for their children to grow in a healthy way.
“Through the Go Baby Go trainings, I learned things I never knew I should do before,” said Fatima. “In our culture and traditions, we give the newborn baby a bath with salt right when they are born, but I learned that this is a huge mistake. It’s not healthy for the baby’s skin. I also learned how important breastfeeding is and that it has specific techniques, such as looking into my baby’s eyes when breastfeeding him/her. I also learned how to take care of my own mental and physical health through this training.”
“When I first started giving the Go Baby Go trainings, the room would have 10 or so women, but with time, I started having around 75 women in the room!” says Fadwa, World Vision JWG’s community health worker in this community. “Because women in my sessions started learning new things and benefitting from them, they started spreading the word to their neighbors, sisters, sisters- in-law, mothers, etc. to come and attend the sessions as well.”
Schools in the communities where there are sponsored children get support too, not only during emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, but throughout the 10+ years World Vision JWG has committed to working there.
“Before World Vision built a protective wall around my school, I used to be afraid of falling down to the open field surrounding my school, so I wouldn’t go and play in the playground, but now I can play freely and enjoy myself,” says Mais. Mohammad adds to that: “After World Vision installed a sunshade in our playground, it became more fun to play outside because now we are shaded from the hot sun.”
The communities World Vision works with are inspired by the care and dedication the sponsors show over the years. Without this humane mindset of helping people they don’t even know, there won’t be good in this world. World Vision is also committed to fair distribution of this support to make sure all vulnerable children live in HOPE, JOY and JUSTICE.