Sponsorship
I walked in the searing heat ad my shirt was drenched from sweat. Tired but I had a mission I needed and wanted to fulfil.
When mum was still alive, she sponsored two children through World Vision Taiwan, one in the south of the country, and another in Mozambique. She had paid installments till January 2013, and after she passed, I had the idea of continuing to sponsor the two "adopted" children to continue of legacy of charitable giving.
Last August, before I left Taiwan, I arranged to have the financial sponsorship continued. And at the end of last year, I made a large lump sum donation to the girl in Mozambique to help them improve their family home. That was the last contact I had with the organisation.
But no monthly deductions have since been made, so my visit was to figure out what happened.
I arrived at the head office, and was greeted by a kind receptionist. I should have called in advance, for I would have discovered the trip was more or less in vain as the agent who has been in touch with me (with all other customer service agents...) happened to be away on a training. The reception lady did take a look into the sponsorship files, and revealed to my surprise the sponsorship has ended without my knowledge...
The girl in Mozambique was apparently removed from the programme as her family was deemed no longer suitable after she turned 14 years old. Perhaps the large sum of money I donated back in December, in accordance with mum's wish, had something to do with it. The other child, a boy who has the same surname as me, was assigned to another sponsor after mum's sponsorship money terminated.
There were several awkward moments, as I stood there stunned that I could no longer continue mum's legacy. The lady was very apologetic. I wasn't sure what to do, and it did cross my mind to start sponsoring children of my own. But I stopped short and said I needed to think about it. It was all so sudden, unexpected and left me lost. You expect something to go a certain way, but nothing really ever does.
Disparaged, I left the office and stepped into the searing heat again...
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