Kazakhstan- Part 1

The main reason I decided to make a new blog was to talk about something very special. In August 2017 I travelled to Kazakhstan as a volunteer and representative of Antares Foundation. Since I got back I've spent so much time looking at my photos, but I wanted somewhere to talk about it. And I mean really talk about it. I have so many memories, stories and feelings about it that I needed to get it out.

Roughly about a year & a half earlier, I was emailing the Antares director about something else. I decided just to ask her if visiting was an option. She replied that yes, a group go every summer, and that I would be more than welcome to join them. That was it. The seed was planted. I started to think about it, like really think about it. I had always wanted to do something like that, to go abroad and do some kind of work with children. In the past I had thought about doing Camp America, or a voluntary trip to a developing country, but it never happened. This was a chance not only to visit needy kids, but this was kids I knew. I was writing regularly to these kids, seeing lots of photos etc, I knew them. I thought a lot about it, and after a while I knew that I had to do it. If I didn't, the trip would come around & I'd look at the photos of others, I'd regret it massively. So once it was my head, that was it, I was going.

In March, I booked the flights. That was it settled, I was going. Over the next few months I started picking up some clothes to take over for the kids. I planned to take each of my kids a special gift. I wrote them all asking if there was anything specifically they would like. I got a few responses. In the end, I bought Maksim and Roma basketball backpacks, Masha a pair of earrings, Tolya a remote control car, Vova a skateboard, Kolya a poloshirt, Danil a Barcelona football shirt and Fedya a pop up pirate ship.

As the trip got nearer, I was getting more and more excited, but also nervous. I had been on various sponsorship groups and forums over the years, saw lots of people meeting kids in different countries. I couldn't believe that soon I would be doing that. It didn't actually feel real until it was time to go. How would my kids react to me? Would they be affectionate or would they be shy and hide away? How would we cope with the language barrier? Would they even like me?

August 10th, in the early hours of the morning & it was time to go. My route was Glasgow to Amsterdam to Astana. The rest of the group were coming from America and I was meeting them in Amsterdam. I arrived in Amsterdam and met with the group. Initially it was difficult for me as I am quite a shy person, but I knew this was part of the whole travelling experience & as time went on the chatting got easier. We had 4 hours to kill in Amsterdam then set off for Astana at 1.15pm. It was the longest flight I've been on however it wasn't too bad. I had music and TV programmes downloaded to keep me busy. The flight stopped in Almaty in the south of Kazakhstan before going the final leg to Astana. When we landed in Astana it was 3am local time. One of our translators met us at the airport and we went on a minibus to take us to Petropavlovsk. The mini bus journey was 6 hours. By this time, I was really struggling. I was tired, developing a headache and just wanted to sleep. During the journey we watched it go from night to day. After long stretches of motorway, we made it to some civilisation. My 1st thought was it was a really strange place. The city of Astana was incredible, it looked like it was 30 years in the future. Then villages & towns just a few hours away looked like real poverty. Some of the houses were interesting looking, they were different colours but looked very basic. 

A photo taken from the bus during our journey

When we arrived in the city, what I mainly saw was lots of apartment blocks. We finally pulled up at our other translators apartment. I knew her from facebook, and it was good to meet her for real. 

We all went for lunch to the shopping centre across the road, which has a foodcourt in it. The others pointed out to me that this is where they take the kids for the special 7d movie outing. I then recognised it from the many photos I've seen there & it felt surreal. I was actually at the scene of all those outings.

After lunch we went back to her apartment & I had a much needed nap while our apartment was sorted. Later that evening we went for dinner. I was delighted to get back to the apartment to settle for the night. It had been such a long day. The next day we were visiting Sokolovka orphanage. More to follow in part 2 :)

Introducing my Children - Antares Foundation

In September 2013, a big thing happened in my life. I was working as an apprentice on a very low wage. This was when I gained my 1st full time job! This was a massive weight off my shoulders as it meant that for the 1st I had some financial stability. I was going to be earning a full time wage in permanent post.
One of the 1st things that I thought about was that I could sponsor another child! It was something I had thought about a lot for a long time, but my work situation always put me off as I couldn't guarantee I would be in work long term. So I started to look around. I had a look on the World Vision website, but something told me not to jump in straight away. Even though my wages were going up, this also meant my outgoings would go up, so I was a bit wary about another sponsorship with a large organisation. My parents opinion hadn't really changed either, so I had a think about it. I only knew about World Vision and Compassion, so I decided to look around a bit. Via facebook and forums, I discovered a lot of new organisations. One thing I really wanted from my sponsorships was more photos of my kids. I found it difficult waiting between 1 & 2 years for updated photos.
Therefore, you can imagine I was interested when I came across an organisation where every letter you send, you get a photo of your child holding it.
Antares Foundation works within 3 (2 at the time I sponsored) orphanages in the north of Kazakhstan. The kids basic needs are met as the orphanages are government run, therefore the cost of sponsoring is very low in comparison to larger organisations. The main aim of the sponsorship programme is mentorship and to show the kids that someone cares for them. They can be in the orphanages for many reasons. For example, some parents cannot afford education, some have been abandoned or removed from the home due to alcohol, drugs etc, and some have lost their parents through death. These kids have been through traumatic times & often feel lost & alone. It's so important for them to feel wanted.

After speaking to sponsors & researching, I decided to take the leap & email the sponsorship coordinator. She responded to me with the waiting children and I made 7 year old Tolya my 2nd sponsored child!

Very quickly, I knew that I made the right call in choosing Antares. Because the organisation is small, letters are delivered quickly, and therefore plenty of photos! I feel a real closeness with the kids there. Over time as I've got more involved, I've also developed good relationships with the coordinators.  I'd say most sponsors have "their organisation". One that they just feel is best suited to them, and for me that's Antares.

Over time, I added more kids. A few have been adopted on the way, which is of course fantastic! I'd like to introduce you to the kids I'm currently sponsoring there. I have 9 kids, 7 in one orphanage & 1 each in the other 2.

Roma was my 2nd child with Antares. He was put on the facebook page as a "featured unsponsored child." I was drawn to him & after a few weeks when he was still available, I knew he was meant to be mine.

Maksim and Vova are brothers living in RBS orphanage together. I was looking to add a new child and came out with 2, as they like to keep siblings sponsored together where possible.

A couple of years after I started sponsoring with Antares, they added a sponsorship programme at Poludino orphanage, which houses the younger kids. Maksim and Vova had a little brother there named Fedya, so naturally, I had to sponsor him! Fedya has problems with his eyes, he is mostly blind and has had 2 operations on them. I can't imagine how scary it must be for a child to go through surgery without having parents there to comfort them. It makes me so sad.

After a while without adding any new children, I felt I was ready to commit to another, and the Kazakhstan coordinator suggested that Danil and I would be a good match, so I trusted her and added Danil!

Similar to with Danil, I was looking to sponsor a new child and Kolya was suggested to me. He was described as a shy boy who would love a sponsor, I was all too happy to take that title!

I received an email one day from the sponsorship coordinator asking if I would like to sponsor Masha. Masha is Roma's sister, she had just lost her sponsor, and since I sponsored her brother, I was offered her 1st. Of course, I couldn't say no!

There's something that I haven't yet mentioned on my blog, although if you know me I'm sure you'll already know all about it! In August 2017 I travelled to Kazakhstan as an Antares volunteer and met all the children in all 3 orphanages! It was the most amazing experience, and as I know from other sponsors who go on these types of trips, it's fairly common to come home with a new child! I joined this group and sponsored Maxim at Sokolovka (where I didn't have any children before.)

And there you have it! My 9 kids in Kazakhstan. My trip there was very special & my next blog post will be all about that. I'm guessing I'll need more than 1 as I have a lot to say about it!

Introducing my Children - Compassion

A few months after sponsoring Lawrence, I longed to add another child. I loved both writing & receiving letters and having a child to call "my own". I often thought about who I'd sponsor next, and would look on the website at waiting children.
However, at this point in my life I just couldn't. I was a student with limited income & the main barrier was my parents. I don't like to say they weren't supportive of sponsorship, that puts them in the wrong light. I'd say it's more accurate to say they were concerned about me. They didn't want me committing too much money and leaving myself short. I was convinced I could have managed, but I never liked to go against them too much, so I refrained.
I had been directed towards a forum called Our Compassion. This was for sponsors of Compassion International, a charity I wasn't involved in, but people were very welcoming. It was lovely to be able to communicate with people who understood how I felt towards a child I'd never met.
It was here that I was introduced to the correspondent programme. I won't explain it in detail as I assume anyone reading this will be more than aware of it. But basically, this gave me the chance to be a penpal to children whose sponsor didn't write, without the financial commitment.

This was perfect for me! I eagerly added my name to the list and was assigned 9 year old Wickly from Haiti. Wickly is now 14 years old and I still have him as a correspondent, and amazingly, I'm guaranteed to keep him until graduation. A few months ago in early 2017, Wickly lost his financial sponsor. My heart sank as I signed onto my account and saw him missing. After pouring my heart out on the compassion sponsors facebook page about how he was my 1st compassion child & how devastated I was to lose him, one of the staff replied that she had managed to get him sponsored through a "living sponsorship", and so I could still write to him! This is where someone leaves behind money in their will to sponsor a child until graduation. I am so grateful for that amazing person.
Anyway, I went a bit on a tangent there! Back to September 2012 when I was assigned Wickly and my journey started with compassion!

I LOVED the correspondent programme, to the point where I went a bit daft and added many more children from all over the world.

I developed a special heart for the kids in Colombia, I developed such a good relationship with these kids & it was my favourite country to receive letters from.
Like with Lawrence, every time I received a letter it was an exciting day. I built relationships with many of these kids & thought of them as very close friends or even like family.

However, it wasn't always plain sailing. The very nature of the correspondent programme (as briefly mentioned before with Wickly) means that kids can disappear from your account with no warning. This can happen for a few reasons, unfortunately it has happened to me a good few times & I've had to say goodbye to a few children.

I always aimed to write to my kids every month, and for the 1st few years, I managed it well. However in 2016 I started to struggle. There were a couple of reasons for this. The 1st one being simply that I had took on so many kids, I was feeling overwhelmed. The new letter writing system with compassion meant that I was no longer receiving paper letters, they all came online. I agreed with this change as undoubtedly it would save on admin costs so more money could go where it really needed to, however it made writing for me difficult. I used to keep all the physical letters I received, reply, then file it away. However with the online system I would read a letter, then it would easily get lost & more came in, I was getting more overwhelmed & barely replying to any.
I knew that this couldn't go on as more than anything it wasn't fair to the kids. I thought a lot about it & decided that the best thing to do for everyone would be to let a few go.
At this point I had 37 correspondents, I was able to pick out 17 who I either hadn't had very long, or just hadn't built a relationship with. I decided it would be best for them to go to someone who would write more consistently, and it would also allow me to focus more on the kids I already had a bond with. It was difficult to let them go however I feel I made the right call. Just this week I've sat & wrote to all 20, and promised myself to get back on track. I really want to feel the magic again that I once had, and I'm pretty sure with commitment to writing I can do that.

So, here goes, here are my remaining compassion kids!

Aaron - Honduras

                                        

Cliff- Haiti

Emmanuel - Uganda

Deiver -Colombia

Jaime - Colombia

Jesus - Colombia

Juan - Bolivia

Juan - Colombia

Kervintz - Haiti

Kleafton - Haiti

Luis - El Salvador

Nathaniel - Phillippines

Nestor - Honduras

Nevile - Kenya

Pether - Colombia

Ruth - Ecuador

Vince - Phillippines

Yojansel - Dominican Republic

Yordi - Colombia

I am so grateful for what compassion international have given me. They've given me the chance to be a part of so many kids lives that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

Introducing My Children - World Vision

My sponsorship journey began on 26th December 2011.
I don't have a detailed & inspirational back story as to why I started sponsoring. Quite simply, the idea popped into my head & I decided to do it.
At this point in my life I was a student. I was earning a monthly bursary which at the time I thought was loads, I didn't have any outgoings so all the money I earned was mine to spend.
On boxing day I simply went online, typed "Sponsor a child" into google, and came across World Vision. I had a browse on the website and was quite satisfied that they were a legitimate charity, I liked the look of them so I decided to go ahead & do it.

One website, so many children. I knew I had to wittle it down somehow, so I started to think about it. I knew I wanted a boy. As a child I had always wanted a little brother, so that part was certain. At school I had learned a lot about African poverty, so I decided on Africa. I didn't have any preference on particular countries, so I looked at all the boys from Africa and somehow managed to shortlist it to around 6.

I spent a good while looking over these 6 boys. But one just kept jumping out at me. He had a sweet innocent, serious face & big brown eyes. His name was Lawrence and he was 5 years old from Uganda.
I clicked that button and Lawrence became my 1st sponsored child.

I have now sponsored Lawrence for almost 6 years (wow!) He is 11 years old and is doing great.

I have to be honest and say that letter writing is not particularly regular or consistent. I don't know if that's a country thing, or just a personal thing. But I always get a jolt of excitement whenever I do get a letter from him and they always mean a lot to me. He's a sweet boy who likes to play football and help his parents out. He's in Primary 2 and his favourite subject is foreign language.
I have had a good few photos of him and more recently, 2 videos! I was so excited when they started making annual videos of the kids.

Lawrence's project is scheduled to run until 2022. He will always have a bit of my heart and I said from day 1 of sponsoring him that I need to see him through until the end. no matter what happens in my personal circumstances I am determined to keep that promise to myself.

An Introduction

Hi there!

Here I am, stepping into the blogging world again. I had a child sponsorship blog a while back, however cancelled it as I was struggling to keep up. I've decided to give it another go and update when I can.

Before I go any further, I'll introduce myself. My name is Rachael, I'm 24 years old & live in Scotland. My personal hobbies/interests include football, karate & playing electric guitar.
This blog will be dedicated to one of my main passions in life, which is child sponsorship.

I 1st got involved in sponsorship in 2011 when I was a student. Over the years I've got more & more invested in it, becoming involved in a few charities. Not all of these were a good match for me, but I'm now in a place where I'm happy with my involvement & feel that my time & money are being put in the right places.

I'm currently a sponsor with World Vision, a correspondent with Compassion, and a sponsor & volunteer with Antares Foundation. I'm very blessed to be involved in the lives of 30 kids in total. I will introduce each of my children & involvement in each charity in more detail later.

I'm really keen to read more blogs of fellow sponsors, so if you have one, please share the link :)