Children International: I have sponsored Marlyn (from Colombia) and Bertha (from Zambia) for several years now, and I take enormous delight in watching them grow. They send me letters and draw me pictures, and I write to them as well. I like to think of them as my kids. And, they are so beautiful!
| 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Marlyn: |  |  |  |  |  |
| Bertha: | (no photo) |  |  |  |  |
The girls' families are very poor. Marlyn lives with her parents and two brothers in a house with a dirt floor and corrugated metal roof. Their water is delivered by truck in a barrel. Their toilet is an open field. The family income is approx. $137/month.
Bertha lives with her aunt because her mother is dead and her father is missing. She lives in a house with a concrete floor and walls. She gets her water from community faucets, and they use a community latrine. Bertha's family's income is approx. $50/month.
In the years that I've been in contact with these girls, and other children before them, I've never seen any indication that this charity is a scam. Time and again, I'm delighted by how they encourage me to reach out to the girls and encourage with words as well as with my donation. And I feel their love coming back to me.
I chose Bertha and Marlyn because they're both little Sagittarians. Their birthdays fall the day before and 3 days before mine, respectively. :D
