This precious person

Child sponsorship really works. For that child. This article tells us all about it and with great joy. Of course they do - these kids', these people's, lives have been changed. All that support growing up, all those letters of encouragement, of a bigger vision, they have all paid off - and this from a Christian organisation!

And I don't know if I'm pleased or not. I mean, I am for all those kids. But what about their brothers and sisters and the other kids in their village or city? Because the way the studies proved that there had been a positive effect for the sponsor kids was to compare their progress to other kids in the same situation - usually their siblings. Who didn't progress. Well probably a little - "We even find some evidence for spillover effects on the unsponsored younger siblings of sponsored children" (see here for a little more detail).

Is this okay? I mean, it's probably okay, but is it optimum? I love the personal approach, the chance to write them letters - because I know that the even greater gift than an escape from poverty is the gift of eternal life, and I know this is something you have to tell people about, something that gets shared one to another. But is it enough to love the one kid? Do we need to be doing something for their brothers and sisters as well? I guess I see this as different from the times when one needy person crosses your path. Then, your responsibility is to help that one person out and leave the bigger picture with God. But this isn't that - this is taking the initiative to step into a situation. So are we still called to help the one? I don't know.