How big is your bedroom?  Mine’s about 12 x 15.

Your closet?  Probably as big as a house.

Yesterday we broke into small groups of four and visited the homes of children cared for by Compassion International.  Over the open sewers, through the market, down alleyways, until we reached this house for seven: A mother and her six children in 36 square feet.

Imagine a family living in your closet.  A set of bunk beds to the right and a single bed to the left.  Walls made of sticks and mud.  Floors of dirt.  Their attic is the top bunk.  Their basement is the space under the bed.  Their bathroom is the soil outside.  Their kitchen is the alley.  Their tooth brush holder is the space between door frame and mud wall.

An American Christian sponsors a child in this home.  Her name is Charlene and gave her dreams bigger than this place. She told us she’ll become a doctor. “I want to help,” she said.

And she already is just by having her physical and spiritual needs met by Compassion International.  In Uganda, once of Compassion’s goals is to care for one child in every impoverished home.  As that child’s needs are met the entire family is rescued.

The parents of a sponsored child are taught proper nutrition, given a skill they can earn money with, taught how to manage their money.  They are educated in family planning so the family will not grow unless they want it to, and taught disease control so that HIV and other common illnesses are prevented.  They are taught how to parent and are no longer alone: Every bit of Compassion’s care, in twenty-four countries, is administered by the local church which means that pastors and Christian social workers from Compassion visit every family regularly – in this case, at least once every month.  Those visits build community, a network of support, and help then is always nearby.

One child like Charlene then helps her entire family by simply being sponsored.  One sponsor isn’t just releasing one girl from poverty, but a family of seven.  They all thank God for that generous American.  They read the letters that arrive from across the ocean for Charlene.

In this small house a big miracle is taking place: One child released from poverty is saving six more.

You can change a family like Charlene’s right now.  Sponsor a child through Compassion International.