Sponsoring Abroad - Could it Be For You?

Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?
It's A Wonderful Life

If you've been reading any of my writing in the last six months, you might remember that I traveled around South America for 5 weeks. Yes, traveling solo is part of what gave me a different perspective on the whole experience. But I don't think I would have been able to call it "life changing" had I not experienced what I did at the very beginning of my trip, in Colombia.

I have sponsored a little girl, Yuranis, age 9, in Cartagena, Colombia for the past 3 years. I decided to do this because it's something my parents had done almost my entire life - they have always, and continue to, support a little boy in Africa through the Christian Foundation for the Youth and Aging. I trusted this organization because it's Kansas based, they were always transparent with my parents about the funds, and I wanted to incorporate my love of international travel and curiosity with some sort of goodwill.

I'm not a saint. I'm not writing this blog post to brag about the fact that I have sponsored a little girl. In fact, some of my good friends didn't even know I had been doing this until I made the trip to visit her. That trip was honestly something I never had a goal of working towards - it just fell in my lap. I haven't been the best madrina (godmother). I've missed every birthday, rarely sent Christmas cards - I wasn't as interactive as I should have been, which was stupid and missing the point of why I was doing this in the first place. So when I placed the call to CFCA to see if I could visit her during my travels, I was shocked to find that the dates I would be in South America correlated perfectly with the one time a year a group visits her area. After some questions and hesitations, I signed up. And it's one of the best choices I've ever made in my entire life.

What I contribute is not a big deal. It's $30 a month. Anyone can afford this. That's giving up 5 beers a month, or 2 meals out. I had no idea what this money went to - when you aren't feeling the daily grind of needing that $30 a month, it seems easy to forget. But when I visited Yuranis, I learned that that money pays for her lunch every day, which could possibly be the most nutritious meal she receives each day. I also found that I'd bought her shoes, and a school uniform. And amongst other things, I was a figure and a statement that someone in the world cared enough for her to help her out, just because.

Yuranis doesn't have it easy. She sleeps in a bed with 3 other people - her grandmother and 2 cousins - doesn't have a mom, and lives in a very poor neighborhood. But she's one of the happiest children I've ever had the pleasure of spending time with. Her sunny, contagious smile is something that, in the end, broke my heart, because spending three days with her was just enough time for me to get attached. She was very affectionate - constantly sitting on my lap, or wrapping her arms around me for a big hug. I had no idea it would be that way. I had no idea about anything I would see in Colombia. Pictured: Colombian women carry Yuranis, dressed as a mummy, during a scavenger hunt.

I learned more and more about what CFCA does, and felt incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to gain insight into the daily lives of people half a world away, behind the tourist curtain and into reality. It's easy to forget, at the end of a long day at the office, with "so much stress" in our lives, just how great we have it. We won't go hungry at the end of the day. We'll always have a roof over our heads. We have enough skills to advance ourselves in life. And because we're literally so full from all of these gifts, it's all the more reason to give back.

Maybe sponsoring a child or aging individual through CFCA isn't for you, maybe it is. But either way, I think that it's an awesome thing for young, hip, people to do, because of the impact that has on a child. To know that an older sister or older brother figure in the US wants them to do well in school, holds them to a high standard, cares about their well being, and, above all else, is leading by example through obtaining an education and giving back through that very relationship, is invaluable.

If you don't always have time to volunteer, like tying the strings of our unique planet together to make the world a little smaller, and are looking for something interesting to give back to - check out CFCA. Yup - you might be a student and broke. You might have a shitload of student loans to pay back or a car payment or a dog. But having a constant reminder, through the experience of sponsoring a child, is invaluable to you as well. I've learned so much about Colombia, about myself, about other cultures, about hope and faith and love and dignity through my experiences with CFCA and through what Yuranis has unknowingly taught me. I wouldn't have those experiences otherwise. And I value that much more than any of the sight seeing I ever did in South America.

I touched someone's life and allowed mine to be touched as well. It requires vulnerability and commitment. It's scary and it's exciting and it's heartbreaking and it's inspiring - so inspiring to see people with so little have so much hope and happiness. I hope that the experiences I've documented on my travel blog might inspire some of you to consider sponsoring a youth or aging individual somewhere in the world. The possibilities are endless - CFCA works in Asia, Central America, South America, Africa, and more. This isn't a preaching, a beatdown, or pressure. It's just something cool that, selfishly, I loved being apart of, and think that others might genuinely enjoy and benefit from as well.

It's hard to know which organization to pick, especially when it comes to sponsoring children, because you can never be certain where your money is going. But I can attest to both CFCA's legitimate actions and the impact a relationship with a 9 year old girl in Colombia has had on me. There's nothing quite like it in my life that I can even compare it to. I think about her often, and I know she cares for me, too. So if you think sponsoring a child somewhere on this planet is for you, give it a try - check out CFCA. You never know - maybe someday you'll jump on a plane yourself and head for a faraway land and a new friend. And that's not heroic or charitable or sweet - it's just plain badass.