Letters from Lumiere Children

One of the great joys of running a Charity is receiving letters from children whose education and care is being sponsored by donations from kind benefactors. As Christmas approaches, the time of peace, goodwill and family values, I sat last week thinking of my own family and how much I love them all. On 6 December some of my family members celebrate together the great Dutch feast of 'Sinterklaas' or Saint Nicholas, now popularly known as Saint Nicholas or 'Santa Claus'. I pondered on the events that have led me so far from my native home and away from my own family, to be Director of Lumiere to children in need at different points of the globe. And I went into my box of treasures - letters, report cards and photographs from our children over the past years since 2004. And I realised that I have a huge family - in many different countries - through Lumiere...

Here are some of the beautiful sayings from the children,
'Greetings from Uganda - we are having much rains in the middle of our examinations. We shall get holidays soon. Thank you for sponsoring my education...I love you very much. Blessings to you and your friends.'
Attached to the letters are photographs - over the years the first picture of a little girl beaming at the camera has changed to a studious and spotlessly dressed young lady. Another letter has been carefully shaded in with pink colouring pencil, and painted illustrations of roses in the four corners of the letter attest to the DVD lessons we had sent for art classes for the children in a far flung village. Carefully composed in different colours, the letter reads, 'Dear Friends at Lumiere Charity, Thanks for your generosity. Your help is a great support to us. We are happy to be here. May you be blessed.'

A bunch of poignant letters were put together into a booklet and sent to me a number of years back for Christmas. In it, a number of girls who had been at risk of trafficking, spoke of their experiences. Now they wanted to share these experiences, how hard it had been for them to be a street child forced to beg for a living on the streets, and about their new life receiving care and education. One girl wrote, ' When I first came (to the care home), I was taken up by the beauty, greenery - the nature around and I was at peace. I felt I must stay here. When I came in I was a timid person but on meeting (the carers), their love made me feel wanted and cared for. Today I in turn become confident and care for others. I never did well in my studies. Today I am in VII and am putting in a lot of effort and securing first or second rank.'

Another speaks of her life on the streets, 'I was on the streets with a low self-image. I was brought to (the care home) and (the carers) have changed my life. We used to remain hungry at times but today we are well fed and all our needs are seen to. I am getting educated and being guided to do well. I love drawing, crafts and dance. I am lucky to be educated.'
Another little girl writes, 'I want to be educated and do something great in life. I also want to help other girls to come up in life'. One child writes that there are many who are not accepted at birth; they are abandoned in a dustbin and at times on the station. As children, they have to face a lot of difficulties if they spend their lives on the street, they may be abused (and the child explains the abuse suffered through trafficking). This little girl ended her letter with the words,
' I only pray that the world may be less cruel and reach out to many young girls who are in difficulty.'

Two children wrote together;

           'We shall go ahead in life

           And face every difficulty

       We will try to wipe out injustice

          By raising our voice

   Why there is so much of injustice

     Especially on the girl child

       All of us want to be free

  And we shall help them to be free.'

Another child who had been crippled and regained mobility through a number of operations sponsored through kind benefactors' donations to Lumiere Charity sent the most poignant letter of all; a beautiful pink table mat exquisitely cross stitched by her own hands during her recovery from the operations, when she regained her mobility. This was her way to show that she had full movement again. Every stitch in that little table mat which I carefully treasure was her way of saying

 'I love you'.

As I put away my box, I was struck by the words the children wrote. They mentioned,

'love...hope...blessings...thank you...'

These children know the secret to life - that the greatest wealth is not money, prestige or a secure life - it is the noble inner character which is precious, and freely gives the gifts of love, hope, gratitude - and blesses others in their lives.

In the spirit of Lumiere, please consider bringing light into a child's life by sponsoring his or her care and education. There may be an Orphanage, Care Home, Street Children's Home or Project for Children in disadvantaged circumstances near you. And there might be a little child there, all alone, with no one to care. Perhaps Providence had ordained that you be the one to care...

Happy Christmas and Blessed New Year to you and your loved ones.