Has anyone here ever sponsored a child with one of the international child agencies?

Good/bad experience?

Which agency did you use if you did this?

I am looking at doing this...something I have thought about for a long time and not real sure whay I haven't before, but I want to send my money where it will do the most good.

The agencies I have looked at so far are Childreach, Compassion and Save the Children...

Anyone have any experience here...

Thanks for your help...

E

We are currently sponsoring a young man in Ecuador through Compassion International. It has been a nice experience. He is about 15, and we plan to sponsor him until he's 18, then renew with a younger child, and sponsor them for several years, as well.

I don't know about other organizations, but with Compassion, you can actually get addresses and such, so that if you wanted to you could actually go visit "your child". You also get addresses where you can mail things directly, in case you aren't comfortable sending them through the "agency". You still have to pay your monthly fee through them, but "stuff" can be mailed directly, or indirectly. You can be as "involved" or "distant" as you are comfortable with.

Hope it helps. It's a good thing to think about doing.

Oscar

Also, I noticed in your sig line the quote from Desiderata. When was it finally attributed to someone? Every time I researched it I always got, "left in a church by an unknown source, author Anonymous". Just curious. Was it found in someone's estate or something?

OtG

Thanks for the reply...

That's the kind of feedback I am looking for.

As for "Desiderata" I guess as long as I have known about it, it has been attributed to Max Ehrmann. More info is here:

MAx Ehrmann

Thanks again,

E

<small>[ November 20, 2003, 08:43 AM: Message edited by: Elad ]</small>

Hi Elad,
We sponsored children through the Holt Internation Children Services for several years. We received a monthly magazine about children waiting for adoption, agency services in several countries, including the US, regional US family meetings for those who have adopted. We also were sent quarterly updates on our sponsored child with a picture and report. If the child was adopted or re-claimed by family we were told that as well.

I thought it was a good experience.

I sponsor a boy in Brazil through Christian Children's Services. So far it has been a really nice experience. I recently got a letter from his family (his aunt writes). I had sent some pictures of myself, family and pets a while back. She wrote that he was so excited to get the pictures that he ran to her house to show her. She always expresses so much appreciation for the littlest things I do or say.

I am awaiting pictures of him (in his goalkeeper jersey, he plays indoor soccer) and his cat. :-)

I did @ the end of high school and in college... I vaguely remember it being positive... the little girl I sponsored no longer needed sponsorship and I just never did it again... no real reason that I can remember....

Cali