My Family Redefined - Nilo’s Story By Plan Canada Child Sponsor

All this economic uncertainty we keep reading about is prompting many Canadians to rethink their charitable giving, citing the cliché that “charity begins at home” and “family first.” I don’t see this as an “either/or.” We are all in this together, no matter where we live on this small planet. And the concept of a family is being redefined.

Consider Nilo. He lives on the other side of the world in a small village in the Philippines. Although I have never met him in person I consider him part of my family because for 14 years, through photographs and letters, I have shared his world.

When my family started sponsoring Nilo through Plan Canada, back in 1995, we received a photo of a little boy and a description of his life. His father, Nelson, was a peasant farmer. His mother, Maribel, who was able to write in English and wrote letters until Nilo could, was raising three children, Nilo, Melanie and Mary Grace. The family lived in a wooden house with a roof of galvanized iron sheets and a concrete floor. The cooking was done on an earthen stove and the water came from a communal water pump, just one of the things my monthly donations helped to bring to the community. The family farm produced rice and mangoes.

The money I contributed every month through Plan Canada amounted to what one might spend on one meal at an ordinary restaurant. But these funds helped the children in the community with school fees, uniforms, supplies and school repairs. They helped train village workers in primary healthcare. In fact, Nilo’s mother was one of the first volunteers in that program.

Through its partnership with Plan the community undertook projects that have created a cleaner environment and proper waste disposal. Their joint efforts have also improved the health of community members as free medical and dental assistance became available through partner health agencies.

By 2004 their village was prospering. Nilo completed secondary school and decided that he would like to become a registered nurse, taking the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Universidad de Sta Isabel in Naga City. I wish I could have been at his graduation in March 2008 to see him accept his diploma. A few months later he passed the national board exams to become an RN. I shared the pride of his family and friends as I read all his letters.

When Nilo reached 18, my sponsorship officially ended, but I continue to keep in touch with him. It is truly amazing how things work out. I had sponsored other wonderful children through Plan but my relationship with Nilo is special. Our letters are now emails. I followed all the highs and lows of his studies, his stress during exams and his absolute exhilaration as he received his degree and become a university grad. Digital cameras have also brought our two worlds much closer and I am sure that we will continue to communicate with one another often. His expressions of thanks have been endless.

For myself, I cannot think of any other decision I could have made to create such a wide-ranging array of positive results. Perhaps some day I will meet Nilo, but even without meeting him in person, I have great affection and admiration for him, and pride in what he has been able to do. He is now a happy, confident, out-going young man who sometimes (for my benefit) still signs himself “your foster child.”

Since getting to know Nilo my definition of a “family” has come to embrace a wider world. Now, on my fridge door, beside a picture of a grown-up Nilo, is a picture of a new family member -- a small Indonesian boy with an ear-to-ear grin. His name is Leonardo and he wants to be a doctor when he grows up!

Article Source: http://casinoarticles.us

Plan is one of the world’s largest development organizations, working in more than 65 countries worldwide on critical issues affecting millions of children. We believe that no child should have to endure poverty. No child should be without food, clean water, shelter, education, basic health care, the opportunity to contribute to society. For more information, please visit plancanada.ca.

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