Mum’s The Word

Today I am a proud mommy of a cute little boy that lives in Pune. Before any of you jump to all sorts of conclusions let me tell you that no- he's not a love child nor is he an illegitimate baby. He's someone I've chosen to adopt and sponsor until he's old enough to take care of himself. The boy's name is Anil and I happened to see his photo whilst I was browsing through World Vision’s website. There was something about his round innocent face that reached out to me and made me wanna sponsor him there and then. So yes, in that sense I guess I could actually say that he is my love child. 

Meet Anil. He’s only 2 years old…and sooo cute don’t you think?

 

A lot of people prefer to engage in their charities and causes in silence. They feel that publicizing their charitable act kind of takes away the real essence of giving. However, I’m all for talking about organizations such as World Vision and the great work that they do.  Whilst I shall never brag about the amount of money I donate or the time and effort that I put into the causes that I support, I do feel that it is my moral duty to  write about that wonderful feeling I get every time I engage in my little act of giving.  My reasons for writing about my cause is not to get acknowledged but to reach out to hundreds of other people, like me and hopefully inspire them to do whatever little or much they can.

Charity doesn’t necessarily consist of donating huge sums of money yourself. In fact my little experience tells me that there are several affluent people who are willing to donate  large sums of money to help others, however these people neither have the time nor the assurance that their donations will be channelized correctly for the needy. In this sense, charity could also mean us putting in our time and effort to bridge the gap between a potential donor and a needy person.

I also know there are a lot of people out there that want to help others but they just don’t know from where to begin. For those of you falling into this category, please take a moment to consider an NGO called World Vision India and the work it does.

World Vision is a humanitarian organization that is working to create  a lasting change in the lives of the under privileged children in India.  By sponsoring a child with a mere sum of Rs.600 (approx USD 12) per month helps improve their living conditions, educates them and shapes a better future for them.  Basically, how it works is that you pick a child and agree to sponsor him on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis (whatever works best with you) until he/she grows up to be an independent adult. The sponsorship is a long term commitment you make to a single child and it lasts anywhere between 5-10 years until the child is old/educated enough to function independently in the society. Over a period of time you tend to form a bond with the child you’ve chosen to sponsor as World Vision encourages youto write to the child, keep a track of his/her progress and even meet them if you desire. It is amazing how you can buy these children  an education and shape their future with a humble contribution of  a mere 600 rupees and some love.

I can’t wait to write to Anil and get to know all about him and his life. I am also super excited to see what he grows up to be one fine day with a little aid and lots of support from my side.  I find it so incredible that World Vision gives ordinary people like me the opportunity to change the gloomy future of a less fortunate child into a promising one.

I intend to write more about my relationship with Anil and his progress on this blog with the hope to inspire my fellow readers to sponsor a child too. ‘Coz I firmly believe that goodness is the only investment that never fails.

If you are engaged in any of such charitable causes, please share your experiences and inspire others too…

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do." - Helen Keller