Landing her job straight out of high school, Ashley is one of the longest standing members of the ChildFund Australia family. She fondly recalls, “my friend told me there was a job opportunity at ChildFund and asked if I was interested€¦I tried out for it, and got it!”
In all her years working for ChildFund, Ashley says she has “never looked back. I love it. I couldn`t imagine working anywhere else.”
Ashley spends much of her day speaking with and helping ChildFund supporters. At any given time, she could be emailing our Kenya National Office to find out how a sponsored child living in the Great Rift Valley (more than 12,000 kilometres from Sydney) is going with their education, or making sure our sponsors` Birthday Cards are sent out to children all around the world, from Ecuador to the Philippines, or organising a visit for an Aussie sponsor to meet their sponsored child in Cambodia.
During her time at ChildFund, Ashley has visited communities in Vietnam, Thailand and more recently, India. “It has been great to be able to see our programs firsthand,” she says. “It reminds you of all the wonderful things children are getting out of the work we do every day.”
Despite having organised hundreds of sponsor child visits over the years, it wasn`t until November 2013 that Ashley attended one for the first time. During this time, she accompanied our ChildFund Australia Trip of a Lifetime competition winners.
“It was the most unbelievable experience I have ever had. The community went above and beyond what we were expecting,” she fondly recalls. “You could truly see just how much they appreciated the help.”
Working in Supporter Relations, it was very special for Ashley to “spend time with supporters who are really passionate about what we do and are so keen to keep helping us”.
Apart from being inspired by ChildFund`s passionate supporters, Ashley believes that a key reason she has stayed with ChildFund Australia for so many years is due to the “hard-working” ethic of all staff members, and the “fun environment”. Ultimately for Ashley, “it`s the people you work with who make it special!”
It was almost 25 years ago when Gordon Brookes started his journey with ChildFund Australia. At the time he was working as a chef at Wesley Mission in Sydney when he was approached about sponsoring a child. Since that time, he has sponsored 11 different children from countries across Asia and South America.
This is his experience as a sponsor with ChildFund Australia.
What 25 years as a child sponsor feels like
“Sponsorship is a wonderful thing. I think the fact that I have been sponsoring for 25 years and don’t plan to stop demonstrates that. I would encourage anyone to begin,” says Gordon.
“It’s beneficial for you as well as the child; it’s just a great journey.”
And what a journey life has been for Gordon. In 2000 his life was turned upside down when he suffered a stroke at the age of 40, which left him with brain damage. He was told by doctors that he would never work again and spent the next 11 years very ill. During this time he also went through a marriage breakup.
Despite his circumstances, he never considered ending his sponsorships
At the time of his stroke, he had been sponsoring 10-year-old Duong from Vietnam for two years. Despite his injuries, Gordon says he never considered stopping his sponsorships. True to his word, he continued to sponsor Duong until he graduated from the sponsorship program in 2008 when he turned 18.
“Because of the disability I was really sick. I have to admit it was a struggle to write [to my sponsored children]. I wrote most of the letters that I authored and I loved receiving them,” he says. “It was quite a discipline to write back but I knew it was important so I tried really hard.”
Sponsor and child reconnect
Today, life is coming full circle for Gordon. Miraculously, by 2011 Gordon had completely recuperated and has since remarried. After living in many places along the east coast of Australia, Gordon is also back in NSW working as a casual chef and disability support worker.
This year he had the chance to reconnect with a grown-up Duong through an update from ChildFund. Duong, who grew up in a poor, rural village in northern Vietnam, is now working for the Vietnamese Government’s Youth Union after having the opportunity to complete his education thanks to his sponsorship.
Child sponsorship is a gift for sponsor and child
“I believe the most valuable gift given to me [as part of my sponsorship] was that my study was maintained and continued thanks to the regular encouragement from my sponsor,” says Duong. “I want to send my sincere thanks to Gordon who sponsored me for such a long period. Thanks to you I‘ve got what I have today.”
“Often children move out of the area [that they grow up in] but for Duong he is making a difference for the next generation of his community. What an excellent result!” says Gordon. “He may even be one of the next leaders of his community.”
Is child sponsorship a journey for you?
Amidst our fast lifestyles, we’re often left searching for meaning in our life. Is child sponsorship a journey for you, one that could be a meaningful and enjoyable experience?
Find out more about the journey, or learn about the program here.
