Alison's Blanket

I think we've all caught on to the fact that I like to make blankets. It's just about the most mindless, yarn eating but useful knitting or crocheting a crafter can do. Making a blanket isn't rocket science but it is relaxing and it's fulfilling to see my crafting being used and loved by everyone who ends up with a blanket I've made.

Perhaps my readers will recognize this one. I think I posted about it before...


Alison with mother Carina and her blankie.

I sent this one to Alison as a sort of way of saying hello and that I was happy to have become her sponsor.



I also sent a card and bunches of photos of my family. The sponsor kids are usually as eager to get photos of me as i am to get photos of them. I try to send a few batches a year. I'm not sure Alison was too impressed though. :) I don't think she is really old enough to understand the concept of having a sponsor yet.



So I made sure to include some pretty, colorful stickers and some Hello Kitty crayons. What little girl can resist stickers and Hello Kitty? (Not me. I love Hello Kitty.) I'm not above bribery to get on my sponsor kid's good side. :)



I haven't really seen a smile from Alison yet but I don't think it is because she is shy or sad. I think she just isn't used to the camera yet. I sent her a special needs gift for her birthday last month so maybe when I get the photos back from that I will see a little smile. I hope she will be able to get something super girly because I get the impression she is a girly girl. And I respect that. :) I was thinking that, since I know she loves to dress up, I might hit all the after Halloween sales this year and get her a bunch of princess costumes. I think she would like that.

Sharing a Family

My sister and I share a family. I mean in addition to the one we were born into. :)

We share a sponsorship family!

I started sponsoring through Children International in November 2007. It was something that I had thought of doing for a long time but had never found the right organization for me. Once I started sponsoring I discovered how great it made me feel to be getting to know my sponsor kids and making a difference in their lives. But I also discovered how skeptical and uninterested many people were in hearing about my sponsorship. The one person I could really talk to about it was my sister. I remembered she had sponsored a child for a few years through another organzation when we were teenagers.

My sister is a big softie just like me. She really liked hearing the letters I was getting from my sponsor children. I started encouraging her to sponsor a child of her own. I even sent her links to kids I knew she would think were cute. (My sister has a thing for kids with funny hair. I have a thing for kids with big pudgey cheeks.) She eventually sponsored five kids - two of them were ones that I "found" for her. :)

One of the kids she sponsored was Jhonathan:


My sister's sponsor child Jhonathan

Jhonathan is from Ecuador which is not one of the countries I initially sponsored in. But late last year the lady who babysat my daughter from the time she was born, died after a bout with cancer. She was a lovely person and was from Ecuador. I had heard all about how sweet Jhonathan was from my sister. In fact she really liked both of her Ecuadorian kids. They are very affectionate and their families are very nice.


Jhonathan with a backpack full of goodies my sister sent in 2008

I decided that I would sponsor some kids from Ecuador as a tribute to my good friend who had died. I initially sponsored Ana and Jhonny. A few months later my sister and I had a talk and we agreed that it would be great if we could team up to help out one of our sponsor families, so that is how I sponsored Alison, Jhonathan's little sister.


Alison in 2009 - the most adorable pokey little pigtails!

Alison is the youngest of all my sponsor children. She just turned three. She loves to dress up and her Auntie recently told me that Alison changes her dress many times a day and is very conceited. Lol! She plays with her little cousin, they fight, make up and play together again. She is lucky in that she is attending early childhood stimulation classes where she gets to color and is learning to use scissors. Alison's favorite color is red which is entirely appropriate for a little imp like her!


Alison and her mother Carina and brother Jhonathan in front of their home in 2008

When I started sponsoring Alison her mother Carina was a single mother. But shortly thereafter she married her boyfriend (who I think is Alison's father but not Jhonathan's father). At least I'm pretty sure they are married - it's sort of hard to tell exactly what is going on some times, that's the impression I got anyway. Carina recently had another baby - a boy, but frustratingly they didn't tell us his name!


Alison, Carina and Jhonathan in 2008

One of the immediate benefits of sponsoring Alison was that I get to hear about her in Jhonathan's letters to my sister. I also get double the photos of her since she is often included in photos of Jhonathan that my sister gets. She got these photos of their home in late 2008.


Alison, Carina and Jhonathan inside the kitchen area of their home in 2008

I hope the home isn't as dark and depressing as it seems from these photos but it probably is. From what I have been seeing from Steve's videos of his sponsor children this is a fairly typical home.


Alison, Carina and Jhonathan in the bedroom

The children share this bedroom with their parents. My sister bought the bunkbed that you can see in the corner. I thought that was a great idea. It greatly increased the sleeping space in the room and now at least each child has their own bed.


Carina, Alison and Jhonathan with the new bunkbed

I love the new bunkbed - and so does Jhonathan. He loves to make silly faces.



In addition to the bunkbeds, my sister bought the family some really nice furniture. (She had done the same for family in India - sadly all was destroyed in the recent flooding there.) :(



I love these pictures of the family. Little Alison is so cute standing on the chair.


Jhonathan, Carina and Alison with their new furniture

Jhonathan is really getting big fast. It's almost like you can actually see him grow up in these photos. My sister bought him the bicycle in the photo below. I think this is a great gift that the sponsor kids really love.


Jhonathan with a new bicycle and other special needs gifts.

What a nice family! Jhonathan's step-father Julio is a policeman. That's a great sign for the future of the family because it's considered a professional position. I hope that Carina and Julio will encourage the children to also aspire to a profession - it's the dream of many of the kids who live in poverty. The only problem is that Julio has to work in the city and can only get back home two days a month! My sister and I explored the idea of finding better housing for the family that would allow them to be together more but found that it was cost prohibitive. Unfortunately the same is true for the IGP plan that the family would like to do. Children International reccommended instead that we help with Jhonathan's schooling expenses so that he can go to a better school which is closer to home. I think that's a great idea and we intend to do that.

Sharing a sponsor family with my sister has been really great. We talk alot more in general and it has brought us even closer together. We really support eachother in our efforts as sponsors and it's great to have someone else who really understands how I feel about being a sponsor. I think it's going to be a rewarding journey watching "our" two kids grow up together and hopefully prosper in life. Taking that journey with my sister just makes it all the more rewarding.

More Photos of Harry

Here's another set of pictures of Harry from around late October of last year. We sent him photos from our summer vacation as well as some little books about animals that we got on our trip. The Filipino kids can read English so it makes it easy to find books for them.


Harry with his summer package 2008

Harry specifically mentioned that he likes to read and some of his favorite subjects are animals, sea life, and the planets and stars. I'm always keeping an eye out for books for him. I specifically want to find him a good one about astronomy - easy to read but informative at an appropriate learning level for a fourteen year old and with good illustrations - and not too heavy! :) Anybody know a boy Harry's age who likes to study the stars and can give me advice on a good book to buy for him?


Harry 2008

Harry's Birthday Gifts

This is another set of photos I've had for months and never got around to posting..

My dear precious friend Harry turned 14 (!!!) in December. As usual I sent him a special needs gift as a birthday present. I have about five sponsor children that have December birthdays so I've had to make sure not to choose any new children with December birthdays. December is a spendy month what with Christmas and gifts for the sponsor kids birthdays!


Harry got some Hot Wheels

I was pleased to see that Harry was able to spend a good bit of his money on clothing and even a new toy. As I said in my last post, my families in the Philippines have trouble even meeting their basic needs with their small monthly income. Harry's family gets by on only $30 a month! So, naturally when they get the chance they stock up on non-perishable food items.


Harry's new shirt

I'm thinking I might see that yellow shirt again in Harry's new yearly photo. My last yearly photo of Harry was in July 2008 so he's due for a new one here soon.... When I wrote back to him after I got these photos I told him I liked his hair longer like it is in these photos. It looks really cute on him. And doesn't he have the nicest smile? It really transforms his face. Harry is one of those people that really smile from the heart. I simply can not believe how much Harry has grown up in just the year that I have sponsored him.


Harry and birthday gifts 2008

And here we have the ubiquitous massive bag of rice! I don't think a special needs gift in the Philippines ever goes by without the purchase of a big bag of rice. It's such a staple for their diet.

The last letter I got from Harry was in May. He said he was spending his summer vacation with his Aunt and had been on a trip to go swimming in the ocean with some friends. He also described the Good Friday procession in his village/town that he had been to see. In general the kids in the Philippines are quite religious. They often mention such processions or other religious celebrations and holidays. Harry often ends his letters with God Bless! - which I think is so sweet. Even though I'm not religious I do appreciate the sincerity of Harry's belief and that he includes me in his prayers.

Flor's Birthday Gift

The search for my camera charger is "in progress", so who knows when I will get any photos of my knitting & other crafting...

So in the meantime I'll post - you guessed it! - more about my sponsor kids. :) I've actually got a back log of photos waiting for me to get a round to post them. That's one of the coolest things about Children International - you get tons of photos. I've got over 350 photos! That's a crazy good number when you consider you probably get one photo a year with other children's sponsorship organizations.

One of my little Honduran girls, Flor, turned eight this past December. That is such a cute age! And Flor wears it well. I love her clumpy, curly pigtails.


Flor with her birthday gifts - December 2008

With her birthday money Flor bought a set of drawers and some clothing. I think the drawers look like a good choice. They look sturdy and easy to clean. Flor's mother Marta told me the drawers are going to be used to keep their clothes in and will help to keep their clothing clean.

Often my sponsor kids and their families choose to buy a bed with the first special needs gift I send them (except for in the Philippines where they almost always have to spend most of the money on groceries). Flor's family information sheet says that there are four wooden beds in the home. So Flor probably shares a bed with her two sisters. There may not be room in the home for another bed - that's often a factor in their buying decisions as well.


Flor and her mother Marta in December 2008

When I was writing up this post I took a second look at the yellow shirt Flor's Mom is holding and I thought I recognized it from somewhere...


Flor - January 2009

Oh yes - Flor wore it for her yearly photo that I got in January! It's so sweet how the sponsor kids are so thoughtful like that. They almost always try to wear something that I sent them or something that they were able to buy with their special needs money. It's their way of saying thank you and showing that they are thinking of me. I really appreciate the gesture! Plus Flor looks really pretty in yellow. :)

I enjoy getting Flor's letters, which her mother usually writes for her. For her part, Flor often draws - appropriately enough - flowers for me. One of her last letters featured a drawing of a bunch tall reddish flowers with little clumpy leaves in a flower pot. Little birds were on either side holding more flowers in their beaks. I thought it was quite artistic.

Marta often tells me about the seasons in Honduras and what the landscape is like where they live. (Despite having sponsor children in countries all over the world I am always impressed with the concept that it is summer time for me and winter time for some of them. What can I say? I'm simple.) :) In the letter I received about a month ago, Honduras was entering winter time. Marta said the weather was cool and that there were many pretty flowers and trees where they live. I often think it is "easier" to be poor in a more rural setting like Flor has. At least Flor can enjoy the beauty of nature which I know she does because she often mentions such things. I feel sorry for my sponsor kids who are poor in a big city. At least in the countryside there is less crowding and some fresh air!

I hope that the recent political unrest that Honduras is experiencing has not affected my two girls there. I have no reason to think that it has but I do keep my eye on the news. It's sobering to think that poverty is sometimes not the biggest problem my kids face. Natural disasters and unstable governments contribute more than their fair share of difficulties to their lives - much much more so than anyone in the USA ever has to go through. Imagine things like Hurricane Katrina happening pretty much every year and that's closer to what it is like for my sponsor kids.

To Whom It May Concern

Would the person or persons who borrowed my camera (you know who you are) please find the lost charger so that I can take some knitting photos? The knitting blog natives are getting restless. If I don't post some knitting photos soon they're going to turn on me! Help a girl out here!

More photos of Carla

I've got some still photos to share of Steve's visit with Carla in Chile.


This is the first group of children Steve met in Chile - Kevin (sponsored by Jo I think) and Jo's other sponsor kids three year old twins Martina and Monserrat (which is which I do not know) and of course my Carla and her mother Margarita.


Steve with Carla and Margarita and me in a "Flat Stephanie" version. :)


A beautiful candid shot of Carla. She looks exactly like an angel. Probably one of my favorite photos ever of any of my sponsor kids.


Carla and "Flat Stephanie". Carla has the most beautiful almond shaped eyes and eyebrows a super model can only pray for. Seriously, how can I get eyebrows like that??


Carla and Margarita. Carla is the only person I know with hair longer than mine. :)

Robyn asked about my plans for Carla's IGP. I do hope to make Carla's IGP my next Firstgiving project. I probably won't receive the info from Children International for another month but it will work out alright because my next project is scheduled for the #20 slot and we are still raising funds for #11 & #12. I only hope that the project comes in under the $500 mark. If not I will probably try to pay the extra amount myself.