Sponsorship History

Jasmina joined the program in July 2004. I started sponsoring her in December 2005, when she was 9 years old. I was influenced by the fact that she's basically an orphan, and the family's income was only $12 per month. And frankly, I was afraid that since she doesn't look very childlike, she'd be overlooked. It took 4 years to get her to smile a little bit in photos. This blog was originally posted in March, 2010. Since then, I've reformatted it and added photos and drawings.

Jasmina's mother has died and her father abandoned the family, so she lives with her mother's family in the Hoogly district of West Bengal. Her family speaks Bengali. In 2005, she was 4'1" tall and weighed 44 lbs. She was in 2nd grade (late start?) and her favorite subject was languages, and she nejoyed playing with dolls and sport. Her chores were general housework. Her house was made of brick with a tile roof and mud floor. One multi-use room is listed (but I would later conclude that this was the room used by Jasmina and her grandmother; another room is used by her aunt's family). The family cooked on a woodburning stove, got it's water from a community pump and sanitation was a community latrine. Electricity was available.

2006 - Age 10

January - CW Letter

Dear Ms. J,
I am well. Please accept my thanks for sponsoring me. I study in Grade II. Green is my favourite color. Stay well.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina

Survey on back:

• I like where I live because: My friends live here.
• My neighborhood has: A mosque.
• At school, work or home, I: Study and play.
• We celebrate: Id, Muharrem [Muslim New Year]

February - SNG Report completed by Rita Mukherji

Please list the gifts provided to the family:
The family has utilized the gift donation to purchase a steel almirah and a rack cum showcase.

How will the gifts benefit the family?

The child will have a proper place to keep her belongings. The child said, 'I am very happy with the gifts. I will have a proper place to keep my clothing and other items. I can keep my books in the showcase. Thank you, dear sponsor, for providing these essential household items.'"

Dear Sponsor,
At the beginning of my letter please accept my regards. I hope you are well. You are very good. I have told my relatives about you. With your help the Satya Bharati project has given a beautiful almirah and a showcase cum clothes rack. I am very happy to get these things. I thank you. These will be very helpful.
Yours,
Jasmina K--

Apparently, I sent a 2nd, larger, SNG in March. This would have been for Jasmina's birthday.

March - SNG Report completed by

Please list the gifts provided to the family:The family has utilized the donation to install a tube well.

How will the gifts benefit the family?
"Jasmina lives with her relatives. They have to travel some distance to fetch water for drinking, cooking and other purposes. 'So we decided to install a tubewell in our yard. It will be very convenient for us. We are very grateful to the kind sponsor,' said Jasmina. The family will have water for drinking, cleaning and cooking purposes at their home.

Dear Sponsor,
Thank you very much for sending us the gift amount. We have installed a tubewell at our home with your gift amount. My family has immensely benefitted from this. May God bless you. I am fine. Take care.
Your loving child,
Jasmina K--

June? - CR Letter

Dear Ms. J,
How are you! My family and I are well. I study in Grade II. I like to read Bengali books. Sabia is my best friend. I like to eat curd [yogurt]. Please accept my thanks for helping me.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina K--

Survey on back:

• I wake up at... 7 a.m.
• I to to school at... 10 a.m.
• I return from school at... 3 p.m.
• In the evening I ... play with my friends.
• The person who helps me with my studies ... My tutor.

December? - CR Letter

Dear Sponsor,
I hope it is all well with you. We all are fine here. I read in IIIrd standard. I'm studying very hard so that I get promoted to the IVth standard. Thank you.
Yours,
Jasmina

2007 - Age 11

March - SNG Report completed by Mr. Ajoy Chattopadhyaya

Please list the gifts provided to the family:

• 800 brick
• 14 cement
• 100 sand
• 30 stone chips
• 10 mason charge
• 14 labour charge
• 6 transportation charge
• 1 clothing for [grand]mother
• 1 dress for child
• 1 fee for technical consultant

How will the gifts benefit the family?
"The child and the family are having the walls of their room and verandah plastered plus making the floor concrete. The room is sized 12'x9' while the verandah is 26'x 5.6' This home repair will make the house more secure while the concrete floor will keep the family healthy by keeping away diseases like cold and cough and other respiratory tract illnesses. Jasmina said, 'My home will look beautiful. Thank you sponsor.'"

Dear Sponsor,
I hope you are well. We are all fine with your financial help the project office is repairing our room and they have also bought clothes for us. We are happy to have received them. I thank you for your help. Keep well.
Yours,
Jasmina K--

March - CR

Dear Ms. Jenkins,
In the beginning take my hearty regards. I hope you are doing well. Me & my family are keeping fine. I have been promoted to class III. I regularly go to school. Thank you for helping me.
From yours,
Jasmina K--

Survey:

• Do you like school? No.
• How do you get to school? Walk.
• How far is your school from home? Near.
• Apart from studying, what do you do at school? Talk to my friends; Play with my friends; Have snacks. [Everything but draw.]

April - Progress Report

Jasmina seems to have shot up in the 18 months since her last report. From 4'1", she's now 4'10" and weighs 54 lbs. She enjoys playing with friends and sports, and she's been promoted to 3rd grade. The report reflects the concretizing of the floor and installation of the pump. It now lists sanitation as a latrine (rather than community latrine), so that may also be an improvement. Family income is now $34, up from $12, although I think this just reflects inclusion of income from additional adults in the household.

October - CR

Dear Ms. J,
At the outset I convey all my thanks to you for the help and support that I receive from you regularly. I read in Class III now. This is the month of the Holy Ramzan. We will celebrate our festival Id after that. I will enjoy myself a lot on the occasion with all my friends. Do take care and keep well.
Yours,
Jasmina K--

2008 - Age 12

March - SNG Report completed by A Chattopadhyaya

Please list the gifts provided to the family:

• 1 yr pvt tuition fees for the child (April '08 - Mar. '09)
• 24 2 pens, 12 pencils, 10 books
• 1 clothing for the child (frock)
• 1 steel book cupboard
• 1 wooden cot
• bedsheet

How will the gifts benefit the family?
"With the annual private tuition support, the child will get her much needed assistance and guidance in her studies. Moreover, she has also been provided with pens, pencils and exercise books which she can use regularly to do her school assignments. The new set of clothing for the child will meet her immediate requirement of clothes and she can also wear it during special festivals and outings. The wooden cot will provide her with a comfortable sleep at night. She no longer requires to sleep on the floor. The bedsheet will be laid on the cot to make it look clean and proper. Jasmina K said, 'I want to send my thanks to my Sponsor for supporting my educational requirements and for taking care of our family needs.'"

Dear Sponsor,
Hope you are fine. We are fine here. I am very happy to have you as my sponsor. This is to inform you that with the kind donation you extended, the project office has made arrangements for a home tutor for me. Besides the office gave me a bookshelf for keeping my books and copies tidily and in order and a cot. I am much benefited as a consequence and wish to convey my endless thanks to you. I will wind up here with that.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina K--

March - Progress Report

Jasmina is in 4th grade, and family income is now $50, up from $34.

February - CR Letter

I had written Jasmina encouraging her to do well in school, even if she didn't like it, because it would be important to her future.

Dear Ms. G-- Jenkins,
Hope you are doing well. I am doing well with my family. I am trying to improve in my studies seeing the environment of our house. I want to be good in my studies. I am studying regularly for it. I would try to score good marks in my exams.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina K--

Survey:

• Do you like school? Yes
• How do you get to school? Walk
• How far is your school from home? Far
• Apart from studying, what do you do at school? Play with my friends

Soon after, I sent a photo and a letter in which I asked what relative she lives with.

April - CR Letter

Dear Ms J,
I am happy to receive your letter and photo. I thank you. I am doing well in studies. I hope to get a good result. I live with my grandmother. She loves me. You keep well.
Yours,
Jasmina K--

September - CR Letter

Dear Ms. J,
Hope you are doing well. I am doing well with my family. I read in Grade IV. My exam is going on in school. I am trying to do good result in this exam. I go to school with my friends every day. I play with my friends in the afternoon. Our main festival Id is near. I'll enjoy very much with my friends in this festival. I am thankful to you for your help and being my friend.
Yours,
Jasmina K--

I replied to this letter with a horribly long, detailed letter about my favourite halloween costume, a pumpkin costume my mother made when I was 8.

October - CR Letter

Dear Ms G-- Jenkins,
How are you? Hope, this finds you all in good health. We are also keeping well. It is now winter in our region. I like to prepare many handmade items. My grandmother makes many handmade items for me. I am eagerly waiting for our forthcoming festival. I like the days of our festival very much. I enjoy these days with my friends. Thanking you for your help and support. Conveying my heartiest love & best wishes,
Yours truly,
Jasmina K--

2009 - Age 13

March - SNG Report completed by A Chattopadhyaya

Please list the gifts provided to the family:

• 10 months pvt. tuition for the child (May 09 - Feb 10)
• Bicycle for the child
• Sewing machine for tailoring
• Transport cost

How will the gifts benefit the family?
"The child is being brought up in her maternal aunt's place since her birth and her maternal aunt is a tailor by profession. However, the family could not afford a sewing machine for themselves. Hence, they have purchased a sewing machine whcih they will use to stitch clothes for people and earn additional income. It is estimaged that the family will earn approximately $38 from the IGP every month, which will help them to improve their living conditions and take care of their needs. The child has been provided with 10 months of tution support in Grade V, from May '09 to Feb '10, so that she gets proper guidance in her studies to do well in school. The child will ride the bicycle to school or to her tuition classes. This will make commuting faster for her and also help her to save transport cost. The child said, 'I am very happy to have been provided with tuition support in my studies and a bicycle which I always wanted. We are also grateful to you for hleping us to purchase a sewing machine for ourselves.'"

Dear Sponsor
I hope you are well. My family and I are fine. I am proud to have you as my sponsor. With your financial help we have purchased a bicycle for myself and a sewing machine for my family. My aunt is a seamstress and she will use the sewing machine to stitch clothes for people of the locality to earn additional income for our family. I am very excited to receive a bicycle. I have also been provided with 10 months of tuiton support in my studies. This will help me to secure good marks on my examination. I pray for your well being. I thank you for your care and support. I end my letter with love to you.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina K--

March - Progress Report

Jasmina is in 5th grade, and family income is now $53. She's beginning to smile a little...

April - CR Letter

Dear Ms. J
Hope you are well. All my family members including myself are well. My final examination is going on. For that I am studying very attentively. Now it is summer here and the weater is becoming hot. The trees are filled with mangoes, jambolins and jackfruits. Many thanks to you for sending me your help. May God bless you.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina K--

May - CP Letter

Dear G--,
Hope you are well. I am very happy to your letter & photo. I study in grade IV. I celebrated my birthday with my family & friends & enjoyed a lot. We ate rice pudding and cake. Spring is my favourite season. I like mango fruits very much. I also like blackberry and jackfruit. Thank you very much for helping me. Please bless me. May God bless you.
With love,
Jasmina K--

August - CR Letter

Dear Ms. J--
How are you? I and my family are all well. It is raining here cats and dogs. It is Roza month now. Id festival is after it. We all friends will to go [roaming?] then. I will ask my parents to cook delicious foods this day. Thank you a lot for your help.
Your's,
Jasmina K--

2010 - Age 14

January - CP Letter

Dear Miss G--,
Please accept my regards. We are very happy to get your letter. I am proud to get you as my sponsor. I study in school. I have 2 friends. I go to school with them. Now it is winter here. Weather is very cold. I live in West Bengal state of India. I live in Hoogly district. I pray for your well-being. With love,
Yours lovingly,
Jasminia K--

March - SNG Report completed by A Chattopadhyaya

Please list the gifts provided to the family:

• 11 months pvt. tuitions for the child (grade V)
• 100 kgs of rice [@220 lbs!] for the family
• 14 kbs of pulses [beans; @30 lbs]
• 10 kgs of mustard oil for cooking
• Plastering for 2 outer walls of the house

"How will the gift benefit the family?The child is presently in grade V and has been provided 11 months of tuition support from March '10 to Jan. '11 in her studies, so that she gets special guidance that will help her to perform better in school. The family has plastered the outer walls of their house in order to protect the walls from damage and to give their house a new look. The family has been provided of large supplies of rice, pulses and cooking oil needed for their regular consumption. It will also help them to make some savings for other things needed by them in the household. The child said, 'Thank you Sponsor for taking care of my educational needs and for helping our family to plaster the outer walls of our house which was really needed.'"

So why didn't I inquire into those additional needs the report mentioned? Because I don't want to deprive them of the sense of accomplishment that comes from setting a savings goal and meeting it. One reason I hardly ever inquire about needs is because I think the families will benefit from the exercise of figuring out their priorities when they have money to spend. In this case, presumably they could have bought some of those things they need, but they chose to buy nonperishable food items and save up instead. Why would they do that?

There's a very important concept called "Food Security." It's related to hunger, but it's actually a much bigger problem. Statistics show that the vast majority of the poor don't really go hungry all the time--they average 2000 calories a day. The real problem is that every day they are working to buy THAT DAY's food. Since they don't know where their family's next meal is coming from, they have to take whatever work they can get to make sure they have food on the table that evening. They can't decline a low-paying job in hopes that a better offer will come along (a daily worker is someone who has to find a new boss every day), or pursue any other opportunity that doesn't come with the assurance that that they can give their children dinner and (maybe) breakfast.

By having a few weeks or months of food on hand, the workers in Jasmina's family may be able to choose work that will pay off in higher wages, better contacts with bosses who pay higher wages, etc. Not just saving the money they would have spent on food, but actually increasing their income.

Dear Sponsor,
I start my letter with regards to you. Ihope you are well. My family and I are all fine. With your financial help we have plastered the 2 outer walls of our house. This will make the walls stronger and more durable. The house looks much better now. I have been provided with 11 months of private tution support from March '10 to January '11 for grade 5. This will help me to do well in school. In addition, we have purchased large supplies of rice, pulses and mustard oil which will help us to meet our daily consumption needs. We are very happy and we thank you for taking care of our needs. I end with love.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina K--

March - Progress Report

Jasmina is in 5th grade. She now weighs 80 lbs, and the family income is now $57.

May - CP Letter

Dear Miss Jenkins,
Hope you are well. I am well. I am happy to get your photo [her new photo] and letter. I have kept your letter with great care. I am happy to know about the snow fall of your place, but it is ture when it is snowing you all face a great trouble. My studies are progressing well. It is very hot here. With love and thanks.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina

June? - CR Letter

Dear Miss Jenkins,
I send you my regards. I hope you are well. We are fine. We observe Ramjan for a month and after that month we have Eid. I have got 3 dresses. One the day of Eid we wear new clothes and go for outings. We cook delicious dishes and invite relatives and friends. We all enjoy a lot. I am very happy to get all your support and I thank you for it. I end my letter with love and best wishes. I pray to God for your well being.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina K--

In August, I wrote about what school was like when I was 14. Apparently my letter sent her on an emotional rollercoaster... (computer was stolen in May, and I haven't gotten the one I'm using now to talk to my printer, so I was hand writing my letters instead of sending illustrated ones).

October - CP Letter

Dear Miss Jenkins,
Hope you are well. I am well. I am very happy to get your letter. I am sad to know about your computer. From your letter I have come to know about your school. I like to read Bengali poems. I get all your aids in time, for which please accept my thanks.
Yours lovingly,
Jasmina

Continue reading about Jasmina in 2011.

For more about life in India, see Archana's story.