Hannelore Plonka of Napierville, Quebec, sponsored an Ethiopian child, Muluken Gebre, who is now an engineer. Here, she talks about how she became a child sponsor and what sponsoring Muluken meant to her. When did you become a child sponsor?
I sponsored my first child about 25 years ago. At the time, I was having some financial difficulties. I thought it would be good to help someone worse off than me.
How did you find out about child sponsorship?
I saw a World Vision television program and I liked the fact that you don't just sponsor a child. You sponsor a community in an area that lacks pretty much everything because of drought or long-lasting civil war—just grinding poverty and with no training, no resources.
When did you start sponsoring Muluken?
I began sponsoring Muluken in 1993. It was really satisfying to follow his progress from start to finish. I received letters, photos, and cards. At the beginning, he was just a kid with not much to look forward to. At the end, he was studying to be an engineer and starting his own family.
How did you see child sponsorship helping Muluken?
Education is the way to end poverty. A person needs a base to build on if he or she wants to get somewhere in life. And you can't learn much if you are starving or have to spend the day getting clean water back home.
What did child sponsorship mean to you?
I felt a sense of achievement from child sponsorship because I put someone on a road he might not have found otherwise. Now he's an adult and his life is his own to live, but at least he was given a chance to achieve most of his potential. That chance ought to be given to everyone.
Click here to read an interview with Hannelore Plonka's sponsored child.
Click here to sponsor a child.
