Ofelia stands in the kitchen of the home she shares with her daughter and son-in-law in Guatemala.
Seventy-eight-year-old Ofelia proves the age-old adage, “with age comes wisdom,” to be true.
“My first advice is to trust God,” Ofelia said. “If you want life, ask for it. Pray. Get on your knees and ask God to give you more life.”
Lennen, a 15-year-old girl in the Philippines, smiles as she reads through letters and cards from her sponsors, Melvin and Mary in Pennsylvania.
As 2016 comes to an end, we reflect on the past year with a lot of gratitude. Every one of our sponsors and sponsored friends has played a tremendous role in making a big impact around the globe. We’re happy to report that, in 2016 alone, we’ve disbursed more than $105.3 million in field support to our programs around the world, a one-year record!
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Why letters matter to sponsored friends
Loretta Shea Kline, a sponsor and Unbound managing editor, writes a letter to her friend, Dinesh, in India.
I write for a living and know the hardest part of writing anything— this blog post, a story for our Living Unbound magazine or a letter to my sponsored friend — is getting started.
We tell sponsors all the time that writing to their sponsored friends is easy. While tools such as mailing labels and eLetters make the process of sending a letter easier, crafting words to go on the paper or screen is never easy.
A group of sponsored youths in Guatemala make Christmas cards to send to their sponsors.
At this time of year sponsors often ask us, “Do you have any suggestions for what I can give my sponsored friend for Christmas?” As a matter of fact, we do, and all it will cost you is a wee bit of your time. OK, that and an international postage stamp.
Write your sponsored friend a letter.
Carlos outside his home in Guatemala. He rents a room constructed of corrugated metal for the walls and roof and concrete for the floor.
Carlos, 73, dreams of returning to college to finish his education. He started studying when he was young, but the need to earn money at a young age to help his family kept him from consistently attending classes after primary school.
“I would ride my bicycle over a narrow dirt road for an hour to get to school,” Carlos said. “It was good exercise, I was in good shape. I had strong legs. Then I worked for years in a carpenter’s shop and at a gas station.”
A sponsored child in the Philippines writes a letter to her sponsor in Tagalog. The letter is then translated into English.
There are hundreds of languages spoken across the Unbound community. From Kaqchikel in Guatemala to Tagalog in the Philippines, languages represent the unique cultures that are part of Unbound.
Sponsored member Vaishnavi (center) in Hyderabad, India, celebrates the holiday spirit with her parents.
At Christmas, many people give charitably in honor of a loved one instead of giving traditional Christmas gifts. For a family member who doesn’t want more stuff, or a friend who loves the idea of sponsorship but is unsure about the financial commitment, giving the gift of sponsorship is a beautiful way to celebrate.
We’re so honored that more than 1,000 people celebrated 35 years of service with us on Saturday, Nov. 19 at our Global Block Party. Located at our headquarters in Kansas City, the party was packed with sponsors, neighbors, employees and founding families. The day was a meaningful symbol of the growing Unbound community in Kansas City and around the globe.
Over the course of the crisp, fall afternoon, guests learned about Unbound’s unique model through a staff-created exhibit about our work, listened to speakers and performers, and visited with staff and family members of our founders. From a KC drill team to African traditional dancers, performances were running throughout the event, reflecting the colorful cultures of Unbound from Kansas City to around the globe. Check out some photos from our big day.
Unbound is thankful for all the support and encouragement sent from our sponsors and donors to families living in poverty around the world. As a community, we’re making a big difference in many lives.
Happy Thanksgiving from Unbound!
