Update on Ephraim's Schooling and another kind of sponsorship program

I called Children International (CI) on March 9th to ask about Ephraim's education. I had recently learned that most children in Zambia cannot afford to go to school beyond grade 7 after which school is no longer free. I just received a letter from CI today confirming that Ephraim was no longer in school due to lack of funds. He should be in Grade 8. The letter stated that it would cost $125 a year for him to continue his education. I have just sent off a check to CI for this year's school fees. I have recently read that almost all the children that the CI centers in Zambia can accommodate have been sponsored and that they are working to open a new center there. Also in today's mail came the news that CI will soon begin work on a center in Uganda near the capital, Kampala. This will be a new country for CI, the first since Zambia joined the family 5 years ago.

Now let me tell you about another kind of sponsorship program. It's called Women for Women International. It was founded by Zainab Salbi who grew up in Iraq under Sadam Hussein. This program operates in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. You may notice that all of these countries have one thing in common: They are countries that have recently been or are currently at war, whether from within or without. Their slogan is "Helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives."

You can choose the country in which you wish to sponsor a woman or designate "wherever the need is greatest. In 4 to 6 weeks you will be matched with a woman and will receive an info kit about your new "sister". As a sponsor, you pledge to contribute $27 per month (plus a one time administrative fee of $30 to set up your account) to support one individual woman in a year long program of vocational and technical skills training, rights awareness and leadership education. Your support will provide the tools and resources your sister needs to rebuild her life after war. Your monthly contributions will also help your sister to obtain basic necessities for her family, like food, clean water, and medicine; to pay school-related expenses for her children; to use the funds as seed capital to start an income-generating project. Perhaps more importantly, your letters will provide an emotional lifeline to a woman who may have otherwise lost everything.

So if you want to help those in need but aren't sure you want to take on the average 13 year commitment of sponsoring a child here's another, shorter term way to help someone whose life has been shattered by war get back on the road to self sufficiency. To learn more about Women for Women International click here.