Open Your Child's Eyes to Poverty- 5 Ways You Can Get Started

I'm raising three white children in a middle class home in a suburb of Seattle, WA. We live in a gated neighborhood where there is nary a sign of any real want. Sure, we see tents along the highway in the city where homeless camps have been set up and we pass by, make eye contact and smile at those men and women holding signs at the intersection, but how do we really help our kids grasp the reality of poverty when we are so far removed from it.
Several years ago, I read a quote by Shane Claiborne, in his book Irresistible Revolution that says "the problem is not that American Christians do not care about the poor. The problem is that American Christians do not know the poor"
How true is this! We care when we know. When we hear about true need and crisis, American people are quick to step up and help when they can. But how do we get to know the poor and the needs of those in poverty?
Poverty in America looks very different than poverty in developing and third world countries. My hope is that our children will have a larger world view that includes people to the ends of the earth. So how do we open our children's eyes to poverty? I'm sharing five ways today that I hope will help you know where to start.

I've been fortunate enough to have traveled to several developing nations like Uganda and Zambia with World Vision and have seen the work being done in communities that are dealing with extreme poverty {those living on less than $1.25 a day}. When I've come home, I've shared stories of the people that I have met and my children have heard from me how different their lives are from those children on the other side of the world. 
But it doesn't take traveling out of the country to have a conversation with your children about poverty. 

Be Prepared

Kids ask questions all the time. Sometimes those questions come when you are least prepared to give an answer. When my kids were much younger, I was approached by a homeless man outside of the store asking me for a few dollars. I smiled at the man as I juggled bags of groceries and kids in my arms and responded that I don't carry cash. When my kids and I got in the car they asked why I lied to the man. 
Be prepared for a response. If we tell our kids to help those in need, but when someone in need asks for help and you don't help them, what explanation are you going to give to them. I could have been taken off guard and launched into a whole explanation about bad choices and addiction {which isn't always the case} but instead I told them that we don't give money directly to someone on the street, but that we do give money to community programs that can help those in need. 

Talk About It

Don't be afraid to have a discussion about poverty. None of us has all of the answers, if we did, there wouldn't be poverty. The goal of talking about poverty is to encourage empathy. Express how it makes you feel sad that those people living in a tent don't have a warm bed to sleep in at night. Talk about how happy you are that your children have a doctor to go to when they are sick and that they have clean water to drink and that not all children have those things.

Do Something for Someone Else

Last year, I wrote Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Volunteer as a Family and Where to Start. It's always been very important for us to serve together as a family. Your kids may have their own ideas of how they want to help. Be open to listening to those ideas. Maybe they want to donate some of their unused toys to a homeless shelter or while they are school supply shopping they want to buy supplies for a child at their school who might not otherwise have any. 
Maybe you want to put together blessing bags as a family so that when you see a homeless man or woman on the side of the road, you have something to give to them. A blessing bag is a Ziploc bag and can include non perishable food items like granola bars and water bottles as well as personal care items like a toothbrush and shampoo. Or you might want to spend an afternoon as a family at a food bank sorting items or make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that you can distribute to the homeless nearby. 

Experience It

Turn off your water for the day and see how difficult it is to not have a home with running water. Take a walk with buckets to your local water source {it could be a drainage pond or a puddle nearby} and walk home with the water. Eat a simple meal of beans and rice or even consider skipping a meal {elementary age kids can skip breakfast} to see what it really feels like to be hungry. Consider getting your older kids involved in the 30 hour famine. Spending some time experiencing the effects of poverty can help open your kids heart and mind to a new understanding of the poor. 

Our sponsored child Moses at his home in Uganda

Sponsor a Child 

One of the greatest things we have done as a family is to sponsor a child through World Vision. We started sponsoring Moses more than 5 years ago and we now sponsor a young girl named Sheila as well. World Vision has children available for sponsorship in nearly 100 countries. 
When we started sponsoring Moses we got a packet of information about him and his family and the area that he lives in. There was also information and even videos of our sponsored children on the website that we could watch. We write to our sponsored children and they write back to us. We love to receive pictures and letters and hear how their life is improving because of our monthly donation of $35. It's been a great way for our children to think about someone their age that is growing up in very different circumstances. You can find out more about child sponsorship here.
We have also found these books helpful to share with our children as they have gotten older.  
Under the Overpass is a book about two guys who decided to break free from their middle class lifestyles and see what it was really like to live on the streets for five months. It was an eye opening view for how we respond to those men and women that we see on the streets.
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore A story of two men from two very different backgrounds forming an unlikely friendship.
Interrupted by Jen HatmakerThis was a great book sharing how to live on mission right where you are.
The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich SternsThe message in this book challenged me to live differently and opened my eyes to change my world view.
We enjoyed watching this documentary on Netflix as well.
Living on $1 a Day Follow the journey of three guys living on $1 a day in rural Guatemala. 
I would love to hear about some of the ways that your family helps to open your child's eyes to poverty in your backyard and around the world. 
dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

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Giving Tuesday-Comparing two catalogs

This time of year I get a ton of catalogs.  Well, not really a ton because to be honest I rarely buy anything from them so I usually get taken off lists rather quickly, but I do get some catalogs.  I picked up a few of them and started flipping through while I was eating breakfast one morning.  

These are the two I picked up. The World Vision gift catalog and the American Girl catalog. I must say, that was an interesting start to the morning that really got me thinking about a few things.

Let me start with the American Girl catalog.  I have a 13 year old daughter who has a few American Girl dolls thanks to garage sales. I have never purchased anything from the actual American Girl store other than lunch one afternoon a few years ago when my mom and I took my daughter on a girls day and enjoyed a little after Christmas shopping.  My daughter realized that the $50 gift card that she had received for Christmas could purchase her barely one outfit for her 18" doll. 

Don't get me wrong. I love American Girl. I remember wanting one when they came out when I was a kid and I picked one up as quickly as I could when I found one for $5 at a garage sale. I tucked that garage sale find away one year and it appeared under the Christmas tree for my daughter. I love that the American Girl dolls encourage girls to be girls and provide an opportunity for them to maintain their childhood in the most wholesome way.

However, I don't love their price tag and like I said, I've been lucky enough to score a fair amount of American Girl dolls and their accessories used and at a fraction of the price over the years. While we could afford to buy American Girl doll at retail prices {the average doll will set you back around $120}, we have chosen not to because we would rather use that money so that we can be more generous in other areas of our life. More on that later. 

While perusing the American Girl catalog, the last page has the American Girl promise which says:

We promise to never stop believing in the unlimited potential in all girls.  We're dedicated to creating products, services and experiences that help boost confidence, ignite creativity, and fuel connections. It's our job to remind the world--and girls--how strong, brilliant, and brave they can be.

I couldn't agree more! Especially with that last line.  Let's take a second to break down that promise and see how it is that American Girl is fulfilling that promise with their products.

You can purchase accessories for your American Girl doll that will help normalize life events that an everyday girl has that will hopefully boost her confidence. If your daughter wears orthodontic head gear, you can buy a healthy smile set for $14. If your child is in a wheelchair, your doll can be too for $38. A hearing aid can be added to any doll for $14 and if your child has food allergies, you can buy an allergy-free lunch with safe {plastic} foods and a faux allergy shot for $28. Boosting confidence? Check.

I used to play pretend school all the time when I was a kid. One summer, my best friend and I charged the neighborhood kids $5 a day to go to our school. We even had a field trip to the fire station on our block.

If your daughter loves school like I did, you can buy Mary Ellen's classroom set for $40. It includes a two sided map, chalkboard, stand, pointer and a set of flashcards.  To be successful in school, having a desk and a chair is helpful.  You can get this one for $100. You can even get a school supply set with a backpack filled with paper, pencils and a book for only $30.

I'm a big fan of encouraging music and the arts. You can purchase a music and play set for $20. Or purchase a painting set that can be used in your doll's very own garden gazebo for $236. Ignite creativity? Check.

Does your daughter have an entrepreneurial spirit? Maybe she loves to bake and dreams of one day owning a cupcake shop.  You can get a complete pastry set and cart for $150. The pastry set has a cart with pretend treats and business supplies. If a French bakery is something she dreams of, you can buy one for $500. Fuel connections? Check.

There are so many fun creative products available in the American Girl catalog and on their website that every girl is sure to find something that she will love. 

But I couldn't help but notice that while I could buy doll sized accessories that will help "boost confidence, ignite creativity and fuel connections," I could also do the same thing for real actual people purchasing real actual items that would create a lasting impact. 

You know that last line in the American Girl promise statement about reminding the world--and girls, how strong, brilliant and brave they are?  Well friends, I want to remind the world that there are real girls facing real issues that are strong and brilliant and brave. Whose lives could be changed if you swapped out buying a dolls bike with faux leather seat for a real bike for a girl in need so that she can attend school. 

In March I introduced you to a girl named Nerott.  Nerott is a 13 year old girl that lives in a rural town in Zambia.  She wakes up early to help with the chores. Fetching water miles away and carrying that water heavy 50 pound jug on her head home before she starts her 15 kilometer walk {more than 9 miles each way!} to school. It takes her nearly three hours to walk to school and three hours to walk home, in an area that is at high risk for child sacrifice and kidnappings.

She tries to walk with a friend, but because of the lack of clean water in her area, children are often sick and she finds herself walking alone, sometimes at dusk or after dark.

Girls like Nerott could benefit from the gift of a bike.

I know I don't have to convince any of you how important an education can be for a child. Study after study has shown that education is the key to overcoming poverty. I have been able to see inside several schools in rural Africa. This is a very typical school house room. Many children are unable to attend school though because of high school fees.

There is also a teacher shortage. I visited a school in Uganda where the child to teacher ratio was 93 to 1. There are so few schools in most rural areas that children come from long distances.

While having a French bakery with plastic French treats and paper money would be fun, consider how beneficial it would be to fund a micro loan for a hardworking entrepreneur to start, grow or sustain their business.  You will even get an e-mail with the specific details of the entrepreneur you are supporting and updates to track their businesses progress.

You could fund 20 micro loans for an entrepreneur or purchase a plastic bakery for $500. Which one seems more life changing? 

What if instead of purchasing plastic doll items and accessories, we instead bought real items for real girls that would provide the help that a child may need to find their way out of extreme poverty. This time of year we are constantly giving to kids in want but what if we changed that thinking and gave to kids in real actual need?

Why don't we take a second to compare the items available in the two catalogs. 

American girl doll bike made of metal. Fits an 18" tall doll. Comes with woven basket. $115

World Vision will provide a bicycle for a girl that will provide safe, speedy transportation when a girl might otherwise be restricted from attending school because they live too far away or because of the dangers of getting to school. $100

American Girl doll sized wheelchair with wheels that turn. $38

World Vision will help you provide a custom wheelchair to a child affected with a birth defect, disease or injuries after contact with a land mine. $50

American Girl provides a removable plastic hearing aid for your doll. $14

World Vision can provide help for a child with disabilities including prosthetics and rehabilitation. $25

American Girl allergy free lunch includes a berry smoothie, a container of vegetables, and two sandwich skewers {all pretend}, as well as a fabric lunch bag and a {faux} allergy shot and allergy bracelet. $28

Fruit trees provide the vitamins and minerals that a child needs to grow. A fruit tree orchard can produce enough fruit to provide an income in just 2-3 years time for a family living in poverty. Provide 5 fruit trees for $30.

American Girl classroom set includes a two sided 1950's era map, a reversible chalkboard, pointer, easel and flash cards $40

World Vision will help train teachers and get a child the tools to succeed in school. These tools may include school fees, textbooks, uniforms, backpacks and pencils. $35

American Girl solid wood desk and chair $100

World Vision $100 gift towards education will offer things like teaching supplies, textbooks, toys, sports equipment and more. Because of corporate product donations, your gift will multiply 12 times in impact and will provide $1200 worth of school supplies.

American Girl school supply kit comes with book bag, writing tablet, geography reader, a pencil box {with crayons, a ruler, 2 pencils, and eraser and pen} and a report card $30

World Vision promise pack gives you the opportunity to list up a suffering child with a backpack full of basic school supplies, hygiene items and an insect repellent blanket. $22

American Girl flocked hard body goat $20

A healthy dairy goat can give up to 16 cups of milk a day. Her milk provides protein to help children grow and the family can sell extra milk to earn money for essentials like medicine. $75

I could go on and on comparing items, but I think you get my point.

To see more items that you can purchase for real actual children and their families, you can find the  World Vision gift catalog here. 

Last summer I had the opportunity to meet one of our sponsored children and his father in Uganda. Moses was just five years old when we started sponsoring him. He was in poor health and his parents struggled to provide for him and his two sisters. Sponsorship has provided Moses with clean water that is close to his home, an education and proper medical treatment so that he's no longer in poor health.  Moses' parents have received seeds and education on proper farming and business techniques as well as information on animal husbandry. What was once a struggling family, is now a thriving family with a bright future. Several years ago, we gifted the family with an extra $100 at Christmas.  Moses was able to buy the suit that you see him wearing in the picture, metal sheeting for their hut's roof, a mattress and mosquito net as well as several farm animals, like this chicken {well, maybe not that particular chicken, but that chicken's grandma...or something like that} that he gave to me as a thank you gift when I visited.To make the life changing gift of finding a child that your family can connect with personally, consider child sponsorship. If you want to talk about fueling connections, then child sponsorship is the way to do it.  You can find a child in any of the nearly 100 countries that World Vision works in here. We selected children that our family already had some type of connection to. Both of the kids that we sponsor are the same age as our two younger children. Perhaps sponsoring a girl in Cambodia that is at risk for being sold into the sex trade tugs at your heart.  The children of Africa have mine.  When you sponsor a child, your family is able to write letters, send packages and get updates on the child that you sponsor. There was nothing more special than being invited into the sparse hut that Moses lived in with very few possessions, but when he pulled out a stack of handwritten letters that our family has sent to him over the years tied with twine, I melted. He had kept every single one. 

I knew then that while I couldn't change the world, I could change the world for one child.

Tomorrow is giving Tuesday. I am challenging you today to consider making a shift in your thinking. What if instead of giving your child a gift on their want list, you used the money for that gift instead for a child in need.  Take a peek at the World Vision catalog with your family. Better yet, consider child sponsorship.   

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How we budget for the holidays

The date never changes. I think I knew that Christmas was on December 25, long before I knew what day my birthday was on. And yet, every year, I hear that the holiday sneaks up on some people and they are left wondering how they are going to make those gift lists that their children create a reality.

We do our very best to not make Christmas about the presents or the gift lists. Our children have everything that they need. We are beyond grateful to have a roof over our heads, a warm bed to sleep in, food that fills the pantry and clean water that comes out of the tap.

As parents, we decided very early on {out of necessity mostly} that we wouldn't indulge our children's every want. We don't buy new toys at the store, heck, we rarely buy any new books {thank you library!}. The kids never beg for candy or gum in the grocery aisle because they know they won't get it.

Because we exercise restraint most of the year, we do like to have our children receive at least one item that we know they really want at Christmas.

I've been asked multiple times throughout the years, how we stick to a budget for the holidays. Well, I'm spilling our secrets!



Several weeks ago, I wrote a post about the benefits of buying used gifts for Christmas. I shared with you that we budget $50 for each of our kids' gifts for Christmas.  This is far below the national average and we are totally o.k. with that.

This budget allows us to be more generous in other areas of our life. We are able to give to those in need, not just to those in want.

So, the million dollar question is, where does our money for Christmas spending come from? Well, my friends, just yesterday, we requested to cash out our Chase rewards card and by early next week a shiny new check will be in our mailbox earmarked for Christmas spending.
When we use our Chase card {it's the only one we use}, we receive points on every purchase and those points then can be redeemed for cash. Well, other stuff too like travel, experiences, merchandise and gift cards, but we almost always choose cash.  Because cash. Duh. 
After I deposit that shiny new check, I will be buying things with the money I deposited  and I will be collecting more points. The glorious cycle continues! 

I'm stretching my dollar and saving money all at the same time! {cue hallelujah chorus}

Your first step in budgeting for the holidays is to know how much you want to spend on each person and do your best to stick to that limit. I have talked to friends who don't do this and start buying from their children's wish list instead. Before they know it, they have hundreds of dollars worth of gifts set aside for their children who already have shelves full of toys and electronics.

If you buy family gifts {for your parents, siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents}, try to set a limit for that as well. I try to shop all year long in anticipation of Christmas and buy gifts for friends and family members when they are deeply discounted.

The key is knowing your number and doing your best to be creative to stay in that budget.
Once you start buying gifts, keep track of what you bought and your spending. Because I shop all year long, sometimes I forget about the toy I set aside for my 10 year old that I picked up on major clearance in January. I take inventory of those items before I do any major shopping.

Finally, allow yourselves to be generous. I would much rather give to someone who really needed, rather than just to someone who wanted, however, there is joy in giving regardless.

Our family has two children through child sponsorship with World Vision living in Uganda. I've seen the needs in that area and I know those children can benefit from the savings I create from sticking to our budget. They have basic needs that aren't always being met. Because we are able to stretch our dollar, shop smart and use our credit card to get rewards on anything we want, we can be generous to the real needs of those living on the other side of the world!

There is no magic budget solution, but there is a magic card that will allow you to put money back into your pocket when you spend all year round. I would love to hear your tips on how you budget for the holidays.

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What you can do to fight poverty and be part of the solution

We sang this song by Tommy Walker at church on Easter Sunday. I was still processing everything that I saw and experienced on my recent trip to Zambia and when I sang these words the names and faces of the people that I met popped into my head.

The sermon was on Zacchaeus but mostly it was about grace. The focus was on the concept of being known. In today's society we are all struggling to be known. We post pictures of ourselves on social media, we tweet glimpses of our lives, we Instagram our moments. We have a desire to be known and to connect with others.

Every village that we entered into left us with the same message.  Go. Tell our stories. Let others know about our suffering and rejoice with us in our thanksgiving. I can't tell their stories without telling you their names. They want to be known.

Molly will forever remind me of what the daily task of fetching water is like. I will never forget what it's like to walk with a 25 liter {6 gallons and 50 pounds} jerry can up the path that she walks twice a day barefoot. 
Benny was a sweet little guy that flirted with me while visiting a rural clinic. He was there with family that was sick. 1600 children under the age of five die every day from diseases related to unsafe drinking water. My hope is that Benny will survive long past the age of five and that he will be able to live in a community that has access to clean and safe drinking water.
Kiston is an 11 pound 15 month old baby that is HIV infected and severely malnourished. His mother walked four hours to get him to the clinic for help only to be told that they didn't have the means to help him.  A level 1 hospital is being built to serve that area though right now, that does nothing to help this baby.
Bertha is an overworked nurse seeing patient after patient at a clinic that is understaffed. She loves to interact with patients and save lives. 
Patricia is a little girl living in the rocky hillside village of Hajamba. She has never known the taste of clean water.  She's never known a life without constant diarrhea.  

Nerott walks nearly 10 miles every day to school after spending two hours fetching water. She goes to school for several hours, only to turn around and walk 10 more miles home. She doesn't have the luxury of having time to play like a normal 13 year old girl. She only knows walking and work.Nature {bright blue shirt} is the most incredible volunteer I have ever met. He spends his time traveling from house to house around the village checking in on the sick and the most vulnerable. It's a full time job and he receives no payment for it.  He says that he does it because he knows what a life changing difference World Vision is doing in this community.
Beauty, Ruth and Lointia are now able to dream! For the first time in their lives they have access to clean water.  Their health has improved and they can think beyond the daily task of fetching dirty water that makes them sick.  They even have time now to play and to have a childhood that they missed out on. 
Ivy and Charity are sisters in law that live on the same compound.  It was easy to see that their family is quite successful.  They have a whole herd of cattle, they have the luxury of owning farming tools and they have goats and chickens and a garden.  The only thing that they don't have is clean water. They live near a school that does, and so during the night, at the risk of being beaten, their husbands sneak to steal water. 

This is Moses and his father Richard.  Moses is ten and lives in a village in rural Uganda. I know his name and he knows my name. That's because Moses is one of our sponsored children.  We have written Moses letters and we have sent him pictures. I even had the opportunity to meet him last year in Uganda. Moses and I are able to have a relationship because of child sponsorship. 

Moses is also able to have clean water, an education, health care and training all provided as a benefit of child sponsorship.  In fact, all of the children and adults in his community have those same opportunities because World Vision has a relationship in their village. 

Through child sponsorship lives are changed. For only $35 a month {a little more than a dollar a day} you can change a child's world for good. It's as easy as visiting this link, and selecting a child. It's amazing what good work World Vision is doing in the lives of children and their communities and you can be a part of that! You can know their names.  You can pray for them and write to them and encourage them.  You can be a part of their story.

If you are a runner, you can consider running as part of team World Vision. This year, I will be running my fifth half marathon, but my first with team World Vision. Every training run I take, I think about one of those names. I think about how clean water can be life changing for them and it pushes me. If you would like to make a donation to my team for the Uganda WASH {water, sanitation and hygiene} program you can donate here.

a training run in Zambia

You might even consider starting your own fundraiser. You could have a milestone birthday coming up that you want to be able to share clean water for.  Maybe instead of gifts for your wedding you want to make a different impact and have donations be made in your name instead.  Or perhaps you have your own idea.  

All it takes if $50 to provide clean water for life for one person. You can be a part of the water effect. 

Make these needs known. Share their stories.  Know the name of someone whose life you can help change.The possibilities are endless and the needs are great! Please consider giving.

In case you missed it, here are the posts in this collection:

Hero's In Zambia
Living in Fear
A Child's LifeLooking Forward to the FutureThe Needs are so GreatWelcome HomeSpirit Lead Me Where My Trust is Without BordersPreparing for Zambia

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Hero's in Zambia

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48

As I stood on that red dirt in Africa for the second time in less than a year, I realized that this verse is so true for me. I spent years dreaming of an opportunity to go to Africa, a land that I have loved since I first heard about it when I was a small child.  I have been grateful for the opportunities that I have had to visit and I am humbled that I get to be a small part of an organization like World Vision that is doing great things in not only Africa, but in nearly 100 countries world wide.I met so many amazing and wonderful people during my week in Zambia and nearly every time I met them, they were thankful that someone was willing to tell their story and rejoice with them in their successes and lament with them in their hardships.  I have been given their stories to share and I am thankful for the people like you who are reading them and who are being inspired to help. I want to take the time today to share with you some of the hero's that I met on the trip. Justina is so proud of her new dish rack! She is sharing the message of how important sanitation and hygiene is in her community as a hygiene promoter volunteer.  Justina is a mom of nine and grandmother to 15. It's become her job as a volunteer to take the information that she has learned from World Vision and share it with the members in her community.  This information is changing lives and empowering people to make changes that are affecting their health.

Before my trip, I read along at home about this community that I was so fortunate to get to visit this past week. A community that used to gather water from a hole that has become known as "the dead dog water source".  These are the faces that are benefiting from clean water and are now able to dream about their future. A luxury that they couldn't afford when they were sick and desperate for clean water. The energy was palpable and they are now able to live life to the fullest. Isn't that the best thing we can give a person? The ability to live up to their God given potential. Hearing Mera sing songs of praise and have the ability to dance after just being bedridden for years was one of the most eye opening effects of clean water.

Seeing women come from miles away walking hours to attend an under five clinic to check on the health of their children was evidence to the love that mother's have for their children. Every minute a child under the age of five dies as a result of diarrhea, caused by contamination of water, poor sanitation and hygiene. These clinics give mothers an opportunity to check in on the health of their children and be educated about proper nutrition and safe hygiene practices. 

Kids in school are teaching other kids and then bringing the message home to their family members about the importance of sanitation and hygiene.  For generations people have lived feeling cursed. They believed that diseases and sickness have been brought on by something that they have done wrong.  Perhaps even that their ancestors were upset with them. Now they are living in the truth and are being educated to know how to prevent disease and are sharing that message with others.

Nurse Bertha sees patient after patient working long days and even longer nights in a facility without clean water or electricity. The needs are great and the ability to help is limited. Not only is Bertha looking forward to the opening of the first rural level 1 hospital that will be located on the grounds of the clinic she is now working at, the community is overjoyed at the ability to seek medical treatment in their community.  A church partnership through World Vision is helping to bring the hospital and even ambulances to a community in great need. 

It's not uncommon to find girls like Nerott who is just 13, walking to school 15 kilometers {more than 9 miles each way}  after doing her chores and fetching water. She is often sick because of dirty water and sometimes fearful while walking alone.

Molly has been at the back breaking job of fetching water for decades and is looking forward to rest when a new borehole comes to her village.  Molly spends two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening fetching water.  An act that gives her back, neck, chest and leg pains not to mention stomach cramps and diarrhea from unclean drinking water.  The women and men in Molly's village are fearful of starvation and death because of the drought that is already evident this year.

Charity and Ivy fetch water from a water source that they share with cattle. Their husbands often steal water in the night from a local school since the water they drink makes them gag. They say it tastes like urine and is very salty. They are looking forward to having a new water source later this year that is not only closer to their home and requires less walking through snake infested fields, but water that they no longer have to steal and risk getting beaten while doing so. 

These are the stories of the people that I met. There are many more just like them. Their stories inspire me. I hope they have inspired you. I have been given their stories to share and I hope that you will take their stories and share them creating a ripple effect. These are women just like me and you with children just like ours living on the other side of the world.  The challenges they face daily are different and only by the location of my birth have I escaped their circumstances. 

Child sponsorship is the most effective way to change a child's world. You can find a child available for sponsorship in nearly 100 countries worldwide here.  Put a name and a face to your hero and start telling their story! I promise you, your life will never be the same!

For the complete collection of stories from Zambia:

What Can You Do?

Hero's In Zambia
Living in Fear
A Child's LifeLooking Forward to the FutureThe Needs are so GreatWelcome HomeSpirit Lead Me Where My Trust is Without BordersPreparing for Zambia

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Living in fear and how you can be a part of the change

Disclaimer: this post will have some disturbing information that may be graphic in nature. If you are sensitive, please use discretion.
Before I left for Zambia I had heard about ritual killings.  I wasn't quite sure what information I would be able to learn while I was on the ground, but I asked the hard question of our World Vision staffer Collins, while we were driving into the city of Choma before our work had begun. He informed me that there had been one ritual killing that had occurred this year, and six that had occurred last year.  There is so much secrecy involved in these rituals that sometimes deaths go uncounted.  In South Africa, ritual killings are culturally accepted and usually go unreported. These practices continue to happen around much of Africa and usually involve hunting down a victim {usually walking alone}, mutilation, and murder of some of the communities most vulnerable people.

Most people who practice ritual killings believe that they are an act of spiritual fortification. Human body parts are used for medicinal purposes and are often believed to have supernatural healing powers. The individuals carrying out the killing are usually doing it for the large sum of money that comes with the desired body parts.  They are paid around $2-3,000 USD, a huge sum of money when 64% of the country lives on less than $1 a day.  They are told that in order to get paid the highest sum of money possible, that the parts need to removed while the person is still alive. Hearts are ripped out from the back, hands and feet are cut off.  Lips, genitals and nipples are removed. Sometimes heads are severed. It's brutal. In nearly every village that we visited I would ask if anyone had fears while they were walking to get water, or while they were going to school.  One village we were in said that there was a rumor of a man hiding in the bush but thankfully word traveled fast and he was run out of the village. Thanks to organizations like World Vision, modern medicine is becoming more common and has proven to be quite successful so fewer people are turning to witch doctors who depend on these ritual killings.In Uganda, World Vision staff person Obed Byamugisha, has devised a system that uses village drums to alert of a missing child. A village amber alert of sorts.  You can read more about his story here.There are other fears too. Mamba snakes are native to Africa and are seen daily by women walking to fetch water through the tall grass.  Baboons are very dangerous and have even been found to attack and rape women walking alone. Crocodiles lurk in the same water that women and children fetch water in. Several years ago a 9 year old girl was playing in the water by her mother who was doing wash and was attacked by a crocodile.  Thankfully, World Vision employee Clifford, was driving home and heard quite the commotion by the water.  He stopped and was able to save the girl from the crocodile. She lost a leg but thanks to her sponsor she has crutches and is still able to attend school.Gracinda's story doesn't end the same way.  Her 12 year old daughter Luisa went to the river to fetch water when their local well broke. Several of Luisa's friends came running back to Gracinda informing her that she had been attacked by a crocodile. Her body was found three days later. World Vision fixed the well and Gracinda is now part of the water committee that fixes and maintains the borehole. 

These fears are real for this children and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to sponsor two children in Uganda in hopes that one day they can live in a world without fear. One of the greatest things that you can do to is to find a child that is available for sponsorship. World Vision is able to work in communities forming a partnership that enables real lasting change.  Change that protects and empowers children and adults. Wouldn't you like to be part of that change? A child is waiting for you.

For the complete collection of stories from Zambia:

What Can You Do?

Hero's In Zambia

Living in Fear

A Child's LifeLooking Forward to the FutureThe Needs are so GreatWelcome HomeSpirit Lead Me Where My Trust is Without BordersPreparing for Zambia

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