Bacon or Eggs Cancel Title is required

I woken up this morning thinking about a business fable or motivational story you may have heard of 'The Chicken and the Pig'. Both the chicken and the pig look on at a family eating breakfast. The chicken comments how her eggs allow it to participate or involve itself to help others. The pig then comments on the bacon saying they don't just involve but are totally committed by sacrificing life!

The difference between commitment and involvement is like bacon and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.

My reunion with Estephanie at the last weekend is the most memorable moment of my life as I kept thinking for fourteen months when that day will come.. she was thinking the same way about me. It was as a dream came upon us, and I wanted to continue her sponsorship through what I call.. 'Second Chances Sponsorship' – direct commitment to a child with the family onboard. Estephanie (age 12) is the first ever child to benefit from SCS, so have just sent her 'Reunion Gift' package incorporating the whole family in an educational program led by herself.

I'm beginning to feel just like a baby learning to stand and walk, my involvement in 'basic' sponsorship has now taken me to a higher level.

But then, Bacon or Eggs, the life will be sacrificed. If you’re a chicken, every egg you lay is a chick that you’ve sacrificed. If you’re a pig, you sacrifice your life. Both take risk to give and both have a reward in contributing to the meal we call breakfast – the sponsorship!

And the question and ultimate lesson is how much of your self are you willing to sacrifice to have the life that you truly want (for our children)? Or, you may feel like no sacrifice at all, just a simple word.
The photo sent by Estephanie's parents who simply named it ‘Dhuwa’.

barbmc
I'm a realist. The real question is would you sacrifice your own life, or own well being or your childrens. The truth is that I would not, and neither would the chicken or the pig. In any case, without knowing what you are specifically talking about, sending large amounts of money without any oversight from CI is risky. That decision is completely up to the former sponsor. Every situation is different because it's not for our children, It's for your child.and only you can decide.

n23foster
I can understand your motivation to extend financial support to Stephanie, but I also know that neighbors and extended family are likely to pressure Estephanie's family to share in the bounty. The neighbors of one of my sponsored kids pressured her family to give them free food from their little store, because they had a generous sponsor. The mother was too uncomfortable to refuse them.

Kyetaka
You have a kind and generous spirit. Don’t forget that if the pig is dead, the pig can’t help any longer ... of course you want to help, but find ways to be sure that the money does what it’s supposed to do. I am trying to figure this out for Kyla- I was sponsoring her college costs, but now she’s graduated from CI... how do we create accountability? Of course I want her to finish school. With a degree she’ll be able to do so much! But it’s thousands of dollars — and I’ve seen the horror stories, so I know I have to be smart.It’s easy for us to forget that if we extend a lot of money it can be tempting to use it for other things. It’s a lot of responsibility for that family and child! There are solutions, but caution is needed, both from a practical standpoint, and as a kindness. As n23foster said, it can create problems in the community. Part of it is trust, part of it is common sense. I look forward to hearing more about Estephanies journey with you in the future. Namaste

chelaka
Great! Bacon & Eggs is a metaphor and about commitment to a project or cause – 'sacrifice' does not literally mean 'dead' but far from it (i.e. time/money/energy you expend on something or someone). A breakfast plate consisting of bacon (commitment), eggs (involvement) and the rest (neither) I have found useful in my quest to learn how you feel about your sponsorship. Some may feel both commitment and involvement as 'sacrifice' but others may see it as 'no sacrifice at all', meaning more than happy to let your resources available to your child's wellbeing & development – who are

chelaka
Also, thanks for raising your concerns over trust, transparency & accountability. Honestly, it depends on how you build the relationship and understanding between the child/family and you throughout sponsorship. In my opinion, Estephanie's family possesses these qualities. They are well versed in the CI sponsorship experience, and I have no doubt that they will respect SCS with utmost integrity.

NancyA
A very interesting post! My commitment comes first-before involvement.It underpins my involvement.My involvement is ever changing and depends largely on doing whatever possible to give the child/family what is necessary for the child to, one day, achieve CI's goals of healthy, educated, empowered and employed. I believe both trust and risk are integral parts of all giving.

barbmc
Everyone who sponsors a child (especially on this site) cares about their sponsored child. It isn't a matter of trust or building a relationship. It doesn't matter how many children you can sponsor or how much money you send them You posted the fable about the chicken and the pig. Don't insult sponsors who make solid decisions based on the reality of their own finances, needs, and goals. No one suggested that they were scamming you. Actually it was very rude of you ask sponsors "how much of your self are you willing to sacrifice to have the life that you truly want for your child? or you may feel like no sacrifice at all.

Elemay
A thought-provoking post. "Yes" to commitment and involvement, but "No" to sacrifice. I would not sponsor if it felt like a sacrifice. As for risk and trust, it applies to both sides in a sponsor-sponsored relationship. I'd be happy to be in contact with a former sponsored child who has graduated from the program. In contrast, I would find it hard to navigate the unsupervised, informal sponsorship of a young child and deal directly with the family, without knowing much about them. It could also be highly rewarding, though, so I can understand your excitement!

mariemrcm
Hello. I am pretty sure that Chelaka is not trying to be rude to us and he is maybe asking some feed back in a question form. I am unaware of the meaning of second chance sponsorship. Does that mean a private sponsorship? If you can afford it and if you trust it then there is no harm to it, and it is beautiful, just like helping family. In my case I am trusting CI can achieve much more than I could ever do with the monthly money. Having 2 children of my own and a limitated amount of time and income makes it difficult for me to get any more involved than I am already with my 8 girls. I am commited because I already sponsor since 2005 and involved because I do my best to know the children and meet their needs and because I love them. Sacrified? No I do it because it is my own choice. some people have hobbies, I have my children.

kselander1
@kyetaka - can you contact the school directly to make a payment?

 You should take your questions to CI, There are no Second Chances Sponsorships.'  They don't exist.  You named an idea.in your head. and it's  very misleading and confusing to some. sponsors.  They aren't  sponsorships, or programs, or scholarships. Does CI endorse this? Once CI had a program where sponsors could continue to send money by sponsoring a younger sibling or younger relative that lived in the same SOA. CI stopped doing that. That means now there isn't any oversight, accountability, or transparency about how your money is being used. What makes you so  sure you're at a higher level of  sponsorship than other sponsors? That's just so wrong on so many levels. Other sponsors have been paying the college expenses of their former sponsored children themselves. for years. 
 .
 

@kselander1 quite possibly that will be what happens, among other things. Right now communication has stopped because of Covid; I suspect Kyla will miss a semester of school (but who knows, really). I figure that possibly I can do her books etc through the school, but then what happens with her basic living expenses & bus fare, etc etc... 
I’m thinking that I might post on this in the community & see what these brilliant hive minds come up with lol 
I do trust Kyla, we’ve had a good relationship over the years. But I’m working hard to earn the money for her schooling, so I need to know it’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing- hard over thousands of miles and a language barrier! 
Anyways, one thing at a time- right now the world is so topsy turvy, it makes small problems seem bigger. This is a small problem, and solvable. Thank you for your caring! So kind of you! 

Hey Chelaka, whats your native language? Just curious - you have an offbeat writing style and your bio suggests you’ve done some traveling!