PLAN - sponsor a child, help a community (Plan International)

Member Name: cezzybunny

Product:	Plan International
Date:	25/05/09 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can write to your sponsored child, tell them about the way you live and show interest in them

Disadvantages: None I can see so far

Plan International is a charity which enables people to sponsor children in third world countries. The minimum donation is £12 a month, but a lot of people give more than this. When you sign up, you can say if you would prefer to sponsor a boy or a girl, and which part of the world they are from. I sponsor a 9 year old girl in Uganda, having travelled there last summer. I write to her and am planning on sending a small present for Christmas, but from the end of the year you can't send presents to your sponsor children to make sure other kids don't get jealous. I think most of the children who PLAN work with live in Asia, Africa, and South / Caribbean America. The organisation help you arrange a visit to meet the child you sponsor, and the community as a whole. I'm hoping to do this in a few years time.

The most important thing about PLAN is that when you sponsor a child through them, you aren't just helping one child but the whole community, as the money is used to fund community projects, such as gravity fed water supplies, and to pay for education. I'm really impressed by the organisation, and hope to be involved for years to come.

Summary: A great personal way to help communities in third world countries.