"My Girls"
Since my return to the U.K. I have sponsored two little girls, from Uganda and Kenya, through Plan International. My greatest joy is in receiving regular, bi-annual updates on how “my girls” and their villages are doing, how the funds have been allocated and the achievements over the previous six months as a result of my financial contribution to Plan International. “My girls” often send me drawings or write to me personally.
While I now have a better understanding of the role that NGOs are playing in the Less Developed Countries, as well as some of the problems created by them, I choose to sponsor children as I can see the benefit they derive from their involvement with this organization.
For example, during my trip to Timbuktu in Mali (West Africa) in 2001, I was very touched to see, in the middle of the Sahara desert, a radio station that was totally operated by children. One of the children pulled me inside to show me how they put together their radio programmes and the topics they cover - from hygiene to AIDS. All the chidren I met were very enthusiastic about the programme and their role in it. At that very moment, I felt very proud to be a contributing member of this organization.
For information on sponsoring a child, visit: