MSC archived stories - May 11, 2019
I wrote my previous post titled "Wearing CI merchandise" with all 4 children photos displayed, but wasn’t planning to take on any of them until given thoughts about sponsoring afterwards. Beside, once the decision was made our fates were put to test for hours, the final hurdle before commitment. So, I had to reverse my normal selection process (back to front) this time to ensure that they ticked all boxes!
Other than 1 boy from Honduras whom CI found me in 2013 but later he left after a year, selecting boys on my own has never been an easy task for me. However, I learned that looking at boys in a different angle (i.e. merchandise strategy) has helped me to comfortably connect with them.
I’m not only taking on 2 boys now but also Colombia and the Dominican Republic (DR) are new countries to learn history, people, etc – looking forward to welcoming the children to the family with WG/WL are currently being en-routed to each.
But, the two photos I found of Aaron and Evelin when they were at age 6, 9 respectively that captured my eye, vividly show off their inner being – another layer of transcending powerfully with prospective sponsors. I think, this shows the character of the child much more honestly than a completely static still photo shot!
Finally, (can I ask) for the benefit of CI photographers in the fields, if you were only able to sponsor just one more child, who would you pick from both photos and why.
For me, it's not the picture itself that matters, the more important factor is the amount of time without a sponsor a child has spent. And I also have a thing for intellectual/serious faces compared to joyful (looks to the left) or sly (looks to the right), so in this case I would've chosen the child who had been without a sponsor for longer.
ReplyDeleteMay 11, 2019
Chelaka, I also don't choose a child just based on their photo. Sure, their photo might initially capture my attention, but I also look deeper into their situation, such as family income, # of family members, housing, time waiting, etc. If I solely chose based on their photos alone, I would sponsor them all as I think all of the children are deserving and adorable!
ReplyDeleteMay 12, 2019
Nice photos! If I have to pick a photo I would choose the boy because of his funny expression, however I do prefer the background on your girls photo. Now if I have to pick who I would sponsor that is a different story because I would look at their biography and details. Generally before I sponsor a new child, I decided on a country, a gender, and age category and then I search for their stories, names, birthdate and I do click even on the photos that I don't find so appealing. I only chose 2 children out of my seven.. Wenderlis who had a sad look on the very first photos I saw (and a happy look on the update one, just before I sponsored her), and Genesis who happened to have a yellow shirt with flowers, a shy smile and was "most needy" and her little sister was also listed on the site. I just felt I had to help her..
ReplyDeleteMay 13, 2019
Thank you all for being thoughtful! Both children were not nervous or stressed but very relaxed and their face as well as hands captured expression – capturing a true character photo is a work of art! Aaron was conscious of his "sponsor friend" at such young age, whereas Evelin shines through her natural look. This tells a lot about how they will grow up to be, hence photo images are profound in my decision making process. And, my selection criteria doesn’t take into account any of the details, simply to allow all children an equal shot at finding me!
ReplyDeleteMay 13, 2019