Geraldine, age 11, Guayaquil, Ecuador

Our mailman has crept around our mailbox in the last weeks trying avoiding us and our tedious inquires as the poor mailman in Mrs Hyacinth. We have been even worse than her!
In the 7th week after starting sponsoring Geraldine we received the first letter from her. I can tell it's all worth the waiting.
She is sponsored by my husband ("godetomater"). For strange reasons we chose to sponsor a child each and not together as my husband wanted to sponsor a girl and I wanted to sponsor a boy. I am sponsoring Daniel from Chile and still awaiting his first letter 
But of course Geraldine is 'my girl' too, and I will make this blog for her knowing that my husband will make her an even fancier one. So I am sure you will get to know Geraldine, La Princesa de Guayaquil!!
Her story is heartbreaking: We asked CI for the sponsor history, as the photos in the album was dated from 2007 and the last picture was taken in Dec 2009. CI replied that Geraldine had NOT been sponsored before and Debbie was so kind to clarify the answer on the Message Board. She wrote:
      I did a little more digging on this Geraldin and Daniel and found that Geraldin was enrolled in our program on 5/31/2007.  We sent her information to to 17 potential sponsors and no one wanted her.  On January 13, 2009, we assigned her to sponsor whose first child had left the program.  On that date we notified our staff in Guayaquil to begin giving Geraldin benefits.   So she waited about 18 
months from the time she enrolled until she began receiving benefits.
      As jenkinsg (a Lifter here) explained, out staff would have visited her home to make an appt. for her to come to the community center to update her personal information, have a new photo taken and get her first medical check-up. 
      Unfortunately for Geraldin, the sponsor she was assigned to did not want to sponsor her either, so she was placed back on our waiting list.  We did not find another sponsor for her until June of this year ( We were the lucky ones to find her!).  However, because we had notified our field staff that she had a sponsor, she began receiving benfits in January 2009 and they continue to this day.                                         -----------------------------
Further to this the family record tell us that the mother abandoned family! and the father is listed as separated and not present and with an empty line for "Occupation"Geraldine has an older sister listed on the record. They live with relatives.
It still bring tears to my eyes, and even more when we received the letter. She is such a strong, intelligent, lovely girl. I hope she has received the SNG we sent end June. My husband asked the staff to find something personal for her, that would make her happy and the reply from CI was very personal and warm as if the staff have kept an eye on her?(Our confirmation on the SNG for Daniel was more formally, maybee just different standard letters from the different fields but we WANT to believe that she is treated specially, she deserves it so much!)  
Her name is Geraldine but she is listed at CI as Geraldin, so I have spelled her name wrong from time to time. That will not happen again ;)
We sent an online letter to her early after we sponsored her, but I dont think she replies to that, this is more a presentation of herself. 
She has the most beautiful handwriting. I will scan the letter as soon as I can.
Her first letter in translation:
I thank you for choosing me as your sponsored child! I live in Guayaquil and I am writing these lines from my beautiful city. Let me tell you(this was the pre-printed part) that I am in the 7th year of school (which is explained as 6th grade, equivalent as 7th basic year). I have good grades. My favorite subjects are: Mathematics, Language and Science. I like very much to study at school. I have many friends (amigos y amigas) with whom I share my emotions and games, for example I ride bycicle and play with the dolls. I also play in the park and other games. My favorite food is rice with beans and roast chicken. I also like Ceviches de Camaron and Encebollado. I like animals like dogs.

Says good-bye with affection (cariño)Geraldine.

And no one wanted her????????????

Annette