Deciding to Change a Life

It isn't often I get to directly impact the life of another person, especially someone on the other side of the planet.

Thanks to the efforts of people at Save the Elephants, a wonderful organization in Nairobi, Kenya, I have the ability to do just that. For the past two years, I have sponsored the high school education of a student from rural Kenya. She is from a very poor family, and without the STE scholarship, she could not afford to attend high school. My annual sponsorship contribution of $1,500US helps pay for her uniforms (students in public schools in Kenya wear uniforms), supplies and other expenses.

Just think about it. For many Americans, $1,500 isn't all that much money. Many people spend that much, or more, on Starbucks coffee or cable television every year. Being able to offer a life-changing opportunity to an impoverished student is an amazing thing. Of course, as in the US, graduating from high school without going on to more education isn't a great thing. College or vocational school is necessary if the student is really going to go places. But completing high school is a necessary first step.

I got to meet my student, a young lady named Jecinta, when I was in Kenya a couple of summers ago. English isn't her first language, so communication was a bit hindered, but it was so wonderful to have her join my friends and me for lunch at a lodge run by Save the Elephants.

Sponsoring Jecinta's education is the second time I have been able to change a life. The first was when I adopted my daughter from Russia in 2004. She was 11 years old at the time. Her life choices haven't always been the best, and she has struggled, but she is now making better decisions and seems to be on the path to a better life as an adult. In any event, her life here in America is far better than it would have been had she stayed in Russia.

Many years ago I sponsored a child through he Save the Children organization. I don't remember her name, but she was a member of the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. For some reason no longer remembered, my then-husband and I didn't continue the sponsorship for more than a few years. 

This post isn't about me looking for accolades or praise. It's simply to let people know that opportunities to help change a life are out there, both domestically and internationally. We don't have to have the wealth of a Bill Gates or a Warren Buffet to make a difference in a child's life.