Chosen aims to alleviate poverty and empower vulnerable children by giving them the power to choose

PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 8 July 2021 - Malaysians are invited to participate and be chosen by children from vulnerable communities starting today until 26 July 2021 in an inaugural child sponsorship campaign titled Chosen by international humanitarian organisation, World Vision Malaysia.

World Vision's Chosen campaign empowers children to take the first step in changing their future. For the first time ever, children have the opportunity to choose their sponsor. Pictured above, children showing photos of their sponsor they chose for themselves.

World Vision Malaysia CEO Mr. Daniel Boey said Chosen is World Vision's new invitation to child sponsorship that puts the power to choose in a child's hands. For the first time in World Vision's 70-year history, the child will choose their sponsor!

The campaign will kick off with a community in Cambodia where since the first case of COVID-19 was identified, children have been deprived from their childhood and live in fear for their well-being.

A monthly sponsorship of RM65 will bring clean water, nutrition, education, basic healthcare, protection and hope to the sponsored child and their community. Sponsors can foster a relationship with the child through letters and photos due to the one-donor-one-child policy.

A father of two, Mr. Boey added: "Many children wait years to be chosen by sponsors. As a father, I can't imagine how that could feel for the child, let alone the family. When we give children the choice to choose their sponsor, we give them the opportunity to choose who they want to accompany them on their journey out of poverty. More than that, we empower them to participate in a decision that will impact their life, sending the message that we care about what they think. We hope that this will spark the power to choose what their future can be."

He said his team at World Vision Malaysia have been monitoring and adjusting programmes to respond to the global COVID-19 situation. "Children will select their sponsors at a choosing event (with all COVID-19 safe practices in place) on 5 and 6 August, and we will reveal the matches to the sponsors in the weeks after. We thank all Malaysians ahead for joining us in protecting and empowering the world's most vulnerable children and their communities."

Helping one little girl with US$5 in his pocket, founder Bob Pierce started World Vision in 1950 and its Child Sponsorship Programme focuses on improving the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of the most vulnerable children. In Cambodia, World Vision has implemented relief and development programmes to benefit vulnerable children since the early 1970s.

Around the world, the program has brought so much joy and hope to families. Six-year-old Kelmer from Guatemala, chose Justin Hollander's family to be his sponsors.

"Their daughter is very pretty. She looks like she likes to have conversations and likes to play," he says. "The parents are very pretty. They look like they like to give hugs. And that they like to play."

There are five people in Kelmer's family. Mother, father, 9-year-old, 6-year-old, 8-month-old. Kelmer is in preschool. He loves to learn. When he grows up, he wants to be a teacher. His mother, Yesica, says that sometimes the children get sick, but she can't afford to take them to the nearby centre. Yesica says that Kelmer choosing was "his decision all the way. He felt really good." He told her that when he saw all the pictures, "I just wanted to grab that one."

Kelmer likes to play soccer and marbles. He says, "If they (sponsors) came here, I would like to play football with them. I would like to send pretty words. I am happy for your visit. Te quiero."

Earlier this year, some children in a local community were invited to choose their sponsors as shown in this video: https://youtu.be/a562CDbVccY.

Visit https://bit.ly/WorldVision-Chosen or email [email protected] to be chosen by a child and help make a difference!

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