Camping under the stars in the Serengeti may sound pretty special, but for Aussie couple John and Di Dempsey, who have been sponsors with ChildFund for almost 30 years, even that was no match for the day they met their sponsored child in Kenya
“We first started sponsoring because we wanted to show our own two children that there are many people in this world who have a lot less than we do,” says Di. “So when we first started, our children were very young, four and five years old. Now they are 32 and 33!”
After sponsoring in Thailand for many years, it was a trip to Kenya for Di`s work in 2010 that saw the couple sponsor Benjamin, then aged 10. “I just fell in love with the country and its people,” says Di. “So when I came home I said to John, €˜We have two sponsored children now but I think we can take on one more.`”
Di`s wish to return to Kenya was granted in 2013 after the couple`s planned Egypt holiday was cancelled when civil unrest broke out. “When I started booking our trip I realised that we were only going to be 200km away from Benjamin so I just knew that we had to get there to meet him,” she says.
John and Di`s three-week African adventure saw them on safari in Kenya`s Masai Mara, sleeping under the stars in the company of wild animals in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, and taking in the history and natural beauty of Zanzibar.
Despite this, the couple says: “Visiting Benjamin was the highlight of our entire trip.”
“We were excited but also very nervous because we didn`t know how everyone was going to relate to us,” says John. “I felt like I was bursting out of my chest,” adds Di.
John and Di travelled to the highlands of Kenya, with ChildFund staff, to meet Benjamin, now aged 14, and his family. “I think it was emotional because we just connected immediately,” says Di. “Benjamin even gave John a big hug.”
They also met Benjamin`s mother, Grace, and his younger sister, Ester. “Grace held my hand everywhere we went,” says Di. “When we saw each other, our eyes met and she just put her arms around me and gave me the biggest hug.”
Ester was a little harder to win over. “She was very shy in the beginning so I decided to leave her alone and let her just find her way,” says Di. “I noticed throughout the day she was watching me and then by the end of the afternoon, when we walking out of a restaurant, she just slipped her little hand in mine and it nearly broke my heart, it was very special.”
John and Di then had the chance to see some of ChildFund`s work in action. “We went to a youth centre where ChildFund is helping young people gain employment,” says John. “I was really impressed by the centre; they were trying to help kids who had left school early or hadn`t been to school at all.
“Then we went to Benjamin`s school where we felt like rock stars, children came running from everywhere to meet us!”
The visit to their school provided Benjamin and Ester with the perfect opportunity to get some snaps of themselves with their school friends! “Since coming home we have made a little photo album for Benjamin of all the pictures from the day and all of their friends,” says Di. “I think him, Ester and Grace will like that.”
After a tearful goodbye, John and Di made the bumpy trip back to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The following morning they had the chance to visit the ChildFund Kenya national office where they saw how everything works.
“The chap in charge there is David, he was a lovely bloke,” says John. “We just sat in his office and had morning tea while he answered all our questions about ChildFund`s work in Kenya. We feel part of the team now!
“I am amazed that you only put $45 in per month but with all these other people that are just like us, together it really does go a long way,” he adds.
Thinking of visiting your sponsored child? It is a resounding ‘Go!’ from John and Di. “It was so fulfilling for us,” says Di. “I have a photo of our two kids on my mantelpiece at home and now we have a picture of Benjamin and Ester right beside them.
“We both get a big smile on our faces when we think of Benjamin, his family and the whole experience. I think about them every day.”
Margaret Nyirongo is well respected in Chongwe district, a poor rural area of Zambia not far from the capital, Lusaka. Not only is she a dynamic businesswoman, this 25-year-old has become an inspiring role model to other young women as the founder of a girls’ peer support group.
Below she tells us about her journey, and the youth program that changed her life.
The struggles faced by young girls in rural Zambia
In an area where youth unemployment, early pregnancies and HIV prevalence are at critically high levels, this kind of support can be life-changing for girls who see few prospects for themselves.
“I want to be a good example to other young people and my family,” says Margaret, the eldest of seven children. “I want people to understand that sharing knowledge and skills can bring about desired change in our communities, and that selflessness is key.”
Margaret knows first-hand the risks faced by girls in her area. Like many other bright young women in rural Zambia, Margaret saw her dreams slipping away when she was forced to drop out of school early as her parents could no longer afford to pay for her education. She had always wanted to be a nurse.
“I was devastated when my mother said I needed to stop school,” Margaret recalls. “I felt like the world had crumbled, together with my dream of wearing a nurse`s uniform.”
No longer in school, Margaret became pregnant at the age of 18 and life took a turn for the worse. She says: “The man responsible refused to take responsibility and my mother asked me out of the house.”
How Margaret’s life was changed by a ChildFund youth program
It was at this point that a friend of Margaret`s encouraged her to attend a youth meeting in her district, organised by ChildFund Zambia. Here, she heard other young people talk about how participating in the group`s activities had changed their lives.
“They requested me to join their group, but I thought it was all nonsense. I did not realise that the programs they participated in kept them away from vices like illicit sex and alcohol abuse, which are so common in our communities. After a few days, I actually saw positive changes in most of the youth that I knew and this was what made me join the youth group,” Margaret says.
Initially she took part in the various trainings on offer, including life skills, psychosocial support and village banking, which helped the group members set goals, become more confident and able to teach others.
Then in 2010, Margaret was among 200 young people (mostly young women) from Chongwe and Luangwa districts to be trained in banana production and business management through the AusAID-funded Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), managed by ChildFund Australia. The overall goal of this three-year project was to establish sustainable livelihoods for the young participants and increase their incomes through improvement of production, marketing knowledge and access to markets.
How Margaret was empowered to follow her dreams
“With that support my life changed a lot because I realised that I had the capacity to earn income in a respectful manner,” says Margaret. “Besides, I also learned that it pays to work hard and that when you sweat for your business, sweat turns into sweet!”
Today Margaret is not just leading the YEP group in Chongwe district, she has set up her own banana plantation. She also keeps chickens and is running a grocery store built from the proceeds of the chicken sales.
Her knack for teaching and supporting others has also seen her in high demand with local schools, community groups and other organisations to assist with training children, youth and adults on issues such as HIV prevention and awareness, and women`s rights. This is something Margaret is incredibly proud of.
“It means they have seen something in me,” she says, flashing her big smile. “I will always remain grateful to ChildFund for helping me rediscover my purpose and realise that despite my humble education background, I can still make it.”
You can help children in poverty reach their full potential
There are still other children like Margaret who are forced to drop out of school and give up their dreams. Many of them are girls, who are forced into early marriage, child labour and other unsafe situations.
To reach these children, and empower them to follow their dreams, we need your help. Donate to our current appeal, and help children fear less.
Donate before June 30th and your donation will be tax deductible, which means you’ll be able to claim it on your tax return. There’s no better time of year to give back, to get back.
You can also take the leap into child sponsorship, a journey that will see you make a monthly contribution to support a child in poverty. If sponsoring a child interests you, learn more about our child sponsorship program here.
The Youth Empowerment Project was completed in June 2013. ChildFund Zambia and their local partners continue to provide mentoring, technical and monitoring support.
