This month you and I are sending a Compassion sponsored child to the olympics!
Emilda is an 18 year-old sponsored child with the mental capacity of a three year-old. She lives in a squatter community in the Philippines. And she’s fast!
In 2009 Emilda competed in the Philippine Special Olympics and she performed well enough to qualify for the World Special Olympics in Athens, Greece this Summer. But she needs your help to get there.
Emilda’s parents are unable to pay her way to Greece and the Philippine government is not allowed to help either.
Her need is $19,857.
That’s all that stands between her and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Donations can be made here
More information about Emilda is available here.
When asking others to give please use the following link:
http://donate.compassion.com/special-olympics-athens/?referer=96738
Or this shorter link that takes up less space on Twitter and Facebook:
http://bit.ly/Emilda
Thank you for giving and spreading the word!
cshell says:
Great story and great kid, but i’m still hung up on the $$$. Is 19K a misprint?
Wouldn’t 19k support her whole family for like 15 years?
I’m having trouble connecting…am I missing something?
Lindsay says:
cshell, I’m hung up on it, too. I’ve read the extra info, and I still don’t quite get it.
Chris Giovagnoni says:
cshell,
I appreciate the question you’re asking, and my reply isn’t meant to convince you that you should give to Emilda. It’s meant to give you some context.
I work for Compassion and am involved with the fundraising for Emilda.
$20,000 is a lot of money, and Emilda doesn’t “need” it. The $20,000 could be used in a completely different way and many people would say it would be better used. I understand that and honestly, I agree with it.
However, the work we do is about creating opportunities for the children and families we serve, opportunities that they can seize upon to escape the shackles of poverty. We equip them to be successful Christian adults.
The reason we’re raising money here is to bless the family. The blessing is not something that we can provid through our sponsorship program, rightfully so. This isn’t a need.
The church partner for Emilda’s development center approached us with this opportunity and asked if there was something that could be done. We felt that many people would want to be involved with something like this, so we decided to ask for help too – trusting that each person would act according to his or her conscience.
The proposal that we received from the Philippines says that:
“Emilda’s participation in the International game is a strong indicator that our sponsorship program can indeed release even the special child from poverty in Jesus’ name.
“Emilda’s participation will become a strong testimony of God-given special gift that would encourage fellow children to discover and appreciate the unique gifts God has given His people.
“This non-formal activity hopes to bring the strong message to Emilda, her fellow children with disabilities, and other children in the Compassion community, in the nation, and the world that great things also await a special child like her, and that God could use people, churches, and organizations willing to take extra mile to meet the individual needs of a child, towards the fulfillment of a full life.”
It may be a stretch to say that. But then again it may not be.
cshell says:
Thank you for the reply Chris. I understand I may not see the “big picture” as someone with your perspective. Appreciate your input.
Chris Giovagnoni says:
My pleasure, cshell.
I just received an email from the pastor of Emilda’s church. In it he talks about what this means to his church and the other children at the development center.
He says, “What you are doing for Emilda has inspired the children of the student center, as well as our church. The possibility of her going to the Special Olympics set the bar of hope so much higher for everyone. Many are thinking, “If Emilda can go to Greece, there is no limit to what God can do in my own life.”
Sarah says:
what an amazing opportunity for Emilda, her family & Compassion. Why shouldn’t she receive something she doesn’t “need”?? She certainly deserves it!
Sarah says:
And we enjoy things we don’t “need” every single day!
JD says:
Chris, thank you for taking the time to respond to these questions.
I’ve had questions too, not about what it could do on a large scale to send her to Greece, but specifically about the cost. What is the cost breakdown of that 19K?
I love the possibilities this brings in terms of inspiration for others, and how it will lead others to seek their full potential too.