Sayonika

The is Sayonika. My second sponsor from Children International, and the first whose journey I will be able to journal online. My other, Ella Marie, I have been sponsoring since 2002, but she will be graduating from the program soon.

I became Sayonika's sponsor on May 25, 2010. I had been thinking about sponsoring a second child for many years. On this particular day my mother had to be rushed to the hospital. It turned out not to be life threatening (pneumonia and gastritis), but I was still left thinking about her all day. While waiting for her return I browsed the faces of the many children waiting to be sponsored. I picked out a few that I felt really drawn to and that's when I noticed something special about Sayonika...she shared the same birthday as my mother! It just felt meant to be. And so it's with great pleasure that I became her sponsor.

She is currently 9 years old, and an only child. Her father is a street vendor and brings home an average of $51/month. They have no electricity and are currently using an open field as their sanitary facility. They use a community well for water. She does fortunately have a bed, but there's no floor in their house. In spite of all this she seems to be a very happy child, and I look forward to helping make sure she stays that way.