My SOS-children

 
Toni-Ann, Vedaste and Shechinah

Some years ago I learned about the SOS children's villages. As it says on their website:

"SOS-Kinderdorf International, the umbrella organisation to which all national SOS Children's Village 
associations are affiliated, has the following worldwide tasks:

• to guarantee observation of the basic principles of SOS Children's Village 
  work and of the educational and administrative guidelines
• to support the national associations in their work on the 
  basis of the SOS Children's Village philosophy

There are many ways to help, you can sponsor a child - as I have done, you can sponsor a village, and you can donate to the organisation itself.
I found out about SOS many years ago, while I was still in school and said to myself that when I finished school, I wanted to support a child somewhere and since 1996 I have been doing that. 

Toni-Ann Shaniqua Ellis was born on May 21st 1994 and I began supporting her just before Christmas in 1996.
She was my Christmas present to myself that year. She is from Jamaica and while I was supporting her, she lived in the SOS children's village of Barrett Town in Jamaica. Toni-Ann has an older sister, Chantay. Their father left the family and the mother was in no condition to take care of the children. In 2002, after I had been supporting her for 6 years, she and her sister moved to her grandmother to live with her and I wish them all the best. I treasure the cards, the pictures she makes and everything I got from her and I will always keep her in my heart.

Vedaste Shumbusho was born on May 15th 1988 and I began supporting him just before Christmas in 1998.
He was my Christmas present to myself that year. He is from Rwanda and lives in the SOS children's village of Gikongoro in Rwanda. Vedaste has two sisters who live with him in the village and an older brother. They have lost both their parents. He writes to me sometimes and he always draws a little picture and colours it at the bottom of the page. I also get a picture of him every year and it is great to watch him grow up.

Shechinah Rhine was born on 25th march 1996. After Toni-Ann moved to be with her grandmother I was offered to sponsor her and I happily accepted. She lives in the same town Toni-Ann lived in, Barrett Town in Jamaica. She has three siblings that also live in the village. Their mother is unemployed and has problems so that she can't take care of the children.

I try to send my kids cards and maybe even a little gift for Christmas and their birthdays. I hope that they know that up here in Iceland is someone who cares for them very much and I hope that I am making a difference for them. A friend of mine visited a couple of SOS villages in Kenya and from what she said, they really are what they say they are and that is good.