Once upon a time I thought, “Once I have a permanent job, I will sign up for a foster child.” Sixteen years later, I still didn’t have a permanent job, and I decided I was going to support a child in a developing country anyway. I explored several options. I read a lot of annual reports on-line. I started getting a lot of mail from World Vision. In the end I chose to support a small organization out of Vancouver called Canadian Harmabee Education Society. CHES supports girls to get an education in Tanzania or Kenya. I liked that my money goes directly to the girl I sponsor. All of it. If I want to support the administration of the society, I send them a separate cheque for that. My student is in Kenya. She’s not the best in her class by a long shot, but her grades are improving over the years. She wants to be a doctor. Her family farms in a small village. School is a big deal. I pay her tuition every year. Her family provides her uniform and supplies.
Soon after I became Lydia’s sponsor, I received Continuing status with the school district. It seemed like a small reward for taking the leap and helping a whole family through the education of their daughter. A little bit of karma in action.
The other day I was working out at Curves. It was me and three retired ladies. They were all around seventy years old. The ladies didn’t know each other, but they were discussing their shared passion. Guess what they were talking about? Grandchildren? Cookie recipes? Quilting?
Nope.
They were discussing their philanthropic work in Africa. All three had travelled through Africa making a difference in communities. One had had a gun in her face, but claimed never to have been afraid while there. All of them had been there in the last few years, and all were planning a return in the very near future.
Modern grandmas making a difference in the world. Pretty cool, eh? How are you making a difference?
Shawn L. Bird 
differences September 6, 2010
Once upon a time I thought, “Once I have a permanent job, I will sign up for a foster child.” Sixteen years later, I still didn’t have a permanent job, and I decided I was going to support a child in a developing country anyway. I explored several options. I read a lot of annual reports on-line. I started getting a lot of mail from World Vision. In the end I chose to support a small organization out of Vancouver called Canadian Harmabee Education Society. CHES supports girls to get an education in Tanzania or Kenya. I liked that my money goes directly to the girl I sponsor. All of it. If I want to support the administration of the society, I send them a separate cheque for that. My student is in Kenya. She’s not the best in her class by a long shot, but her grades are improving over the years. She wants to be a doctor. Her family farms in a small village. School is a big deal. I pay her tuition every year. Her family provides her uniform and supplies.
Soon after I became Lydia’s sponsor, I received Continuing status with the school district. It seemed like a small reward for taking the leap and helping a whole family through the education of their daughter. A little bit of karma in action.
The other day I was working out at Curves. It was me and three retired ladies. They were all around seventy years old. The ladies didn’t know each other, but they were discussing their shared passion. Guess what they were talking about? Grandchildren? Cookie recipes? Quilting?
Nope.
They were discussing their philanthropic work in Africa. All three had travelled through Africa making a difference in communities. One had had a gun in her face, but claimed never to have been afraid while there. All of them had been there in the last few years, and all were planning a return in the very near future.
Modern grandmas making a difference in the world. Pretty cool, eh? How are you making a difference?
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