Meet Mbali

I wish I had a picture to show you, but I don't. However, Mbali is a beautiful 3 year old girl in Swaziland that I am sponsoring through World Vision. She lives in a country where 26.1% of the population has HIV/AIDS- the highest prevalence in the world. Her birthday is the same as two of my closest friends- October 1st. She turns four this year and is already responsible for carrying clean water for their family every day. She lives with her parents and two sisters. Her dad works in construction and is not surprisingly struggling to provide for their family. My $35/month will provide her with clean water, food, healthcare, education, clothing and other basic necessities.

Why did I decide to sponsor a child? Because children matter to God and I believe the HIV/AIDS crisis is breaking the heart of God. We are blessed to be a blessing and while I am a tad bit busy with residency, I can't ignore the extreme disparity between what I have and all that so many lack. I long for the day when I can go and operate on the sick and provide them with healthcare that they otherwise wouldn't have, but in the mean time I have to do something. Maybe I can even meet Mbali next time I travel to southern Africa.

Why World Vision? 86% of the money I give goes directly towards those in need. Their overhead is very small compared to many nonprofit organizations. They also give the option of sponsoring children in conflict areas (Columbia, Uganda...), areas with extreme health crises, children being exploited, etc.... Children all over the world have extreme needs, but my greatest interest is in those areas with rampant health crises.

Why Swaziland? I knew they had the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence and that sealed the deal.

It's fun to have an income and to be creative with other ways I can leverage my resources for bigger purposes. Mostly, I'm planning to pay off loans, but it's exciting to have some discretionary funds for other causes!

The question, "Is our community and world any different because our Church exists?" has been banging around in my head quite a bit. I'm still processing, but more and more convinced that if I'm not intentional about this the answer will be "no".

We are blessed to be a blessing. Who are you blessing?