Comments on: A Picture of Poverty

By: Mike Stephens

Mike Stephens — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:11:36 +0000

I was privileged to hear Wess talk at Woodmen Valley and liked how he would use the term “We are just one trumpet blast away from HEAVEN!!!” and how our Compassion children and many others are going to be in Mansions!!!

By: Teri

Teri — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:22:46 +0000

Fantastic story! I’ve been blessed to visit 3 of my children (Kenya and Ethiopia) and it is so humbling when there is a welcome meal. I always laugh when I look thru the packets at a Compassion event… the girls are “styling” in their beautiful clothes. The boys… are looking uncomfortable and some are even pulling at their collars… just like boys do in the US! Children are the small everywhere!

By: Sam Llanes

Sam Llanes — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:12:52 +0000

It is so true when you say that children put on their best clothes (which usually are their Christmas gifts) when they are interviewed or when a picture of them is taken. Here at Guatemala happens the same thing at our Student Centers when sponsors come in a Sponsor Tour or when a sponsor visits his/her child: they just want to look the best they can for them!

By: Teai Day

Teai Day — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:27:18 +0000

I would love to see more pictures. My child is only 5 and does not write yet, so the pictures would help me to connect to my child a little more. Thank you so much for the story.

By: Juli Jarvis

Juli Jarvis — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:39:15 +0000

Thank you so much for this wonderful post. People ask me all the time why the children are dressed so nicely in their photos. I tell them the clothes were probably supplied by Compassion, and that they are normally the only dress clothes the child has. I appreciate so much Compassion’s concern for the dignity of the poor. It is the way it should be. Also — thanks for the link to Chuck Bigger’s site! What a tremendous and sensitive photographer!

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:10:59 +0000

Great story!! I really loved this story..I hope that the situation Vicky mentioned can get better and more children can be registered..:( That part was pretty sad.

By: Vicki Small

Vicki Small — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:29:35 +0000

On one of our visits to a project on my first sponsors tour, I was sitting in a chair next to the center aisle, in the church. The place was wall-to-wall people–children and adults. Every aisle was crammed; firefighters in the U.S. would have had apoplexy!

One mother standing in the aisle next to me had a baby and another daughter, around 5 or 6 years old. The older child sat on my neighbor’s lap (I held the baby) was wearing a beautiful, ruffly yellow dress, so I was surprised, when her mother asked my neighbor if she would sponsor her daughter. In fact, the girl was not yet registered at the center.

We learned, later, that many parents had dressed up the child they hoped to get registered and sponsored. Of course, there was nothing we could do, but it demonstrated for us what Compassion project workers see every day–parents knocking on the doors or rattling gates, begging to have their child registered. All hearts break, when the parents are turned away.

By: Keven

Keven — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:07:50 +0000

When I work a large concert with many child packs I have noticed that children from the same area will have on the same outfit. I assumed not all children were able to afford a new outfit and clothes were shared.

Still it shows how this is really a big day for them.

By: Jill Foley

Jill Foley — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:03:37 +0000

This is what I love about Compassion….their respect for the children and their families. You respect them – you don’t exploit them!

Thank you!

By: Lindy

Lindy — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:53:40 +0000

What a beautiful blog, Amber! Thank you!