For me all children are same. In a symbolic way a sponsor supports a particular child. At our school we create and keep an atmosphere in which no child feels that the other one is better or worse. This thinking should also not come up because one of them is sponsored and the other one isn’t. Only the sponsors know whom they are sponsoring but it is not my intention to let the children know who is being sponsored. Otherwise maybe a child could think that his education depends on that sponsor.
It already happened that sponsors did not continue his sponsorship after one or two years. I cannot stop a sponsor from discontinuing a sponsorship but I will not let this stop the child from coming to school. The child is not aware of it that a sponsor doesn’t want to sponsor him anymore. I do not really want to let the children know that there are some of them who are sponsored by particular persons. Of course, when sponsors come here, they visit the school and meet the children just like every other visitor. I do not want them to come in the role of a sponsor while they are here and give this child the feeling that they are their godfathers. What will the other children feel?
And even those others who have a sponsor may never meet this person because he or she just doesn’t travel and come here. The sponsors will meet the children whom they had already seen on pictures and they can see how they are learning in the classrooms. But I do not want to give this feeling to the children and I do not think that any sponsor will be angry about this.
Related posts
New Workbooks for our smallest School Children – 22 Oct 16
Glasses for our Children! – 20 Sep 16
Free Eye Checkup for the Children of our School – 31 Aug 16
Four Girls and two Boys – and five of them learning with us! – Our School Children – 29 Apr 16
Farewell Party at Ammaji’s for our Fifth Graders – 26 Apr 16
When the warm Lunch at School is the best part of the Day – Our School Children – 18 Mar 16
Another three-in-one Surgery for Monika – 14 Mar 16
A Half-Orphan searching for his Place – Our School Children – 11 Mar 16
I like the view that you have on sponsorship and sponsors. For someone who has enough money to sponsor a child from a distance, It helps the child but it also makes the sponsor feel good. So I can understand why they would want to meet the children the sponsor, but this is the wrong way to look at it I think. Over personalizing the donation in your mind is an ego-feeding thing. Though I do admire the care that people show when they donate.
Good. I think it’s better this way.
I think that is a wise idea, Swami. Children, at that age especially, want to feel equal and included amongst each other. They might even tease other kids for being different. So it is best to keep them feeling equal and that each of them is special and deserves an education. When they get older, they would maybe be able to understand that being sponsored doesn’t make you any better or worse as a person… but at such a young age, they wouldn’t understand. And the sponsors can still feel good about helping a child no matter what!