Almost 25 years ago, I was invited to sponsor a young mother of three with a sickly husband, living in a shack near the Arabian sea in Alleppey, India. Shortly after I accepted the sponsorship, their meager abode blew apart in a monsoon, making them homeless. Over the next few years, I sent what I could to support the mother, Omana, and help her family build a home.

I still remember the day I received a letter from Omana explaining that her situation had improved, she had purchased a sewing machine, and was now sewing garments for village women. She felt she could now support herself and her family and thanked me for her help…..

Years later I had the fortune to visit India and meet this most remarkable woman and her children. We sat together on her front stoop and exchanged stories about our growing children through an interpreter. I continued to follow her progress over the years, at one point resuming sponsorship for a bit to help her children with vocational training. Today, all three children are healthy, working, and able to care for their parents.

I have seen this type of success story repeated many times over because someone cared enough to forego the cost of a latte or two a week so they could help a family heal and become self supporting. If you would like to learn more about how you can make a difference in a family’s well-being through sponsorship, click here.