I know that even though I moan about how little money we have each month after all the bills have been paid, I am also fully aware that we do at least have a house, running clean water, clothes, heating and food etc…. the things that can be easily taken for granted. My boys are well nourished and healthy and have a loving family and a home and are looked after. Sadly, even in this day and age there are so many children so much less fortunate than my two and it makes me sad to think how much pain and suffering they have already experienced in their young lives.
Plan UK is a charity which works for children and their communities in developing countries to help realise the rights of children. They work across a wide range of sectors, including education, child protection, health, child participation, economic security and water and sanitation. Plan UK asks people here in the UK to sponsor a child. From just 50p a day you can sponsor a child and this tiny amount of money really does make a BIG difference to the lives of those children who are lucky enough to have a sponsor. The donations help a whole community through funding projects such as building schools, digging wells and providing vaccination.
To encourage more people to sign up and sponsor a child, Plan have launched a new campaign Give Up To Give Back. The concept is very easy, you simply give something up so you can afford to give back a sponsorship to a child who needs help. Once you sign up to become a sponsor not only are you benefitting a youngster to give them a much better life, but you become notified of the child’s welfare through monthly updates, notes and photographs. You get to know the child and you can also choose, if you want to, whether you have a boy or a girl. So by paying 50p a day you really do get to help a child and seeand hear about the changes yourself.
I have decided that this is something I would like to do and in order to afford 50p a day I got to thinking about what I could #giveuptogiveback. I do not really do much socially like go out for a drink and I do not smoke, so I guess my vices are biscuits but then they cost less than 50p! Therefore, I realised that when I take Jenson to soft play each week I always buy myself a hot chocolate with all the works as my weekly treat which costs £2.50, so by giving that up I will be saving £10 which I will give back towards a sponsorship. To make up the remaining £5 I will have to drop something from the grocery shopping which I am sure will be easy enough to do. I am now waiting to hear about my sponsored child.
Maybe you could give something up to give something back too?
Promotional Guest Post but I wrote the words myself and also paid for the sponsorship out of my own money
stellabranch
I’ve sponsored 2 children over the last 15 years via Action Aid for the same sort of reasons. I love getting my drawings and letters from them telling me how their village is benefitting from sponsors money.