From The Heart

Visiting Our Sponsored Child

Meeting our sponsored child was quite funny. I’m sure it must have been scary for him to see two puffy eyed white people staring down at him from behind our mosquito net first thing in the morning. As the days went on we got to know each other a little more. He is quiet, but very precise, skilled with his hands and keenly observes what is going on around him, even if his health does not always allow him to join in. I watched him wash a dog so thoroughly, right down to each individual toe getting a good scrub! To my surprise I saw parts of his personality that I could identify with even though we came from two different worlds.

The village where our child comes from is a tough place. The village is incredibly poor and the people must work hard to produce a yield from their farming. Black mud everywhere and the weary eyes of the people is something I will not forget. This village is amongst the first to have received a well from Jacobs Well and this has made a big difference but, there is a long way to go.

You cannot escape the fact that there is not enough food and not enough understanding of hygiene so disease is rampant. Children and adults suffer from worms, malnutrition and other diseases like Cholera, Aids and TB. This is not only an awful way to live but leaves them vulnerable and unable to defend their way of life and land against the industrial changes sweeping across India.

Meeting our sponsored child, seeing the great need and Jacobs Well’s earnest response has made it real to me. It has caused me to feel sorrow for the terrible conditions we allow our fellow human beings to endure, but also excitement that the solutions are not out of reach. We met many wonderful Indian people willing to devote their efforts to elevating the downtrodden in their nation.