Special visit for Frome sponsor

Story posted on July 8, 2013

A CHANCE travel stop-over led to a Somerset pensioner coming face-to-face with the girl she sponsors through global children’s charity Plan UK.

Barbara Clark, from Frome, was diverted via Nairobi, Kenya, on her way back from holiday in Madagascar, so she took the opportunity to visit 13-year-old Nthenya in Machakos, about 40 miles southeast of the capital.

Barbara said, “Nthenya’s family home is not on a road and we had to walk to get there. As we neared her home I was greeted with hugs and such a warm welcome from Nthenya’s mother and her eldest sister.”

Money donated to Plan through sponsorship benefits whole families and communities, rather than individual children. A donation of £15 a month helps provide clean water, healthcare and education in communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Sponsors receive regular updates and photographs from their sponsored child and keep in touch by writing letters back.

Plan UK has over 100,000 sponsors in the UK, generating £24 million a year, and supporting one million children worldwide.

Barbara visited Nthenya’s school where Plan has built new classrooms and a bore hole for clean drinking water. She said, “Knowing the family now as real people rather than just names on paper and photos will make such a difference to my letters and my motivation to write.

“They had kept all my letters and hung up my photos with some of their own – actually meeting them will make a huge difference.”

For more information on sponsoring a child with Plan call 0300 777 9777 or visit www.plan-uk.org quoting reference MGMVT2

Pictured above: Barbara with Nthenya and family