Hugabugga

A while back I sent an “EG” (Extra Gift) to Brigid, and requested that she be able to get some art supplies. Compassion surprised me by the speed in which this gift was given to the family, and I got a letter and photo back from it, so sweet. With Compassion you don’t get a lot of photos, in general, although they have been trying to up their game in the last year or so. They had cut back on the photos so much the sponsors were getting upset, so it’s nice to see a more generous approach.

When sending EG’s one must bear in mind that these people live in almost unimaginable poverty and they may or may not be able to honor your requests for what you wish the money to be spent on. For this reason I try to keep my requests down to a minimum and let the parents get on with things, and also, if I do have a request, I will try to send a little extra, to give the family some cushion.

I highly recommend this approach, at least within Compassion & Children International, it tends to lead to a more successful outcome. So yes, make a request, but remember these kids are in another country and culture, the outcome might not be exactly what you’d pictured, and the more detailed the request, the more chances for it to go wrong somewhere along the way. Don’t let that stop you, but be mindful of these limitations and adjust your expectations accordingly. It also takes a fair amount of lead time, anywhere from 2 – 6 months, to get a response, so patience is helpful.

But— back to Brigid! So I got the sweetest little thank you letter back and a photo of her with her new art supplies. Oh, how I love a photo of an art chic with her first art haul— heaven! LoL They always look so happy, like they won the lottery; it’s awesome. Then last week I got the surprise bonus photo at the top of this entry— Brigid, showing off her work for me! What!?! This kid ROCKS!

Of course I immediately wrote her a card telling her she rocks. Gotta keep that good art love going!