My heart is beating so fast now, and I am holding my father’s hand tightly. I am going to miss the girl whom I have waited to meet for 5 years. Everything started when I decided to be a little sponsor at seven years old.

I have enjoyed helping others since I was a small child because I like the feeling that comes after helping people in need. The smiles on people’s faces motivate me to help others. Therefore, I had the idea of becoming a little sponsor after participating in a talk at school.

When I was in Primary Two, I listened to a talk about helping poor children around the world in places such as China, Africa, and South America. These poor children live in extreme poverty and lack necessities as basic as nutritious food, clean water, and education. I was so shocked to hear about this because I had been living with a warm and loving family, which provided me with everything I needed. So, I told my father immediately after school about my desire to be a little sponsor.

Later on, I joined a program to become a little sponsor. The organization matched me with a child named Coco from South America. She lived with her parents and three younger brothers and sisters in a poor village. They didn’t even have a healthy diet every day. Although she was only seven years old, she already needed to take care of her siblings. Their household lacked basic facilities like baths, showers, and an indoor flushing toilet. She had never been to school.

Although I couldn’t go to South America to help her, my dad and I donated money annually to the organization. They would use the money to help children by providing education, water, medical support, child protection, and livelihood support. The reason I didn’t give money and supplies directly to Coco was that it was not a sustainable or effective way to help her out of poverty. Instead, my dad explained that empowering her to become resilient and self-sustainable was more important.

During these five years, I received Coco’s photos and her school reports every year, even though I hadn’t met her face-to-face yet. I learned to save money each month so that I could have enough for Coco each year. I kept donating money to her through the organization, and today, I can finally see her.

Finally, Coco arrived. I hugged her tightly when I saw her. We were both speechless. She thanked me for helping her and her family over the years. We shared our life stories and experiences at school. I finally felt the satisfaction of helping others; it was satisfying and wonderful.