Five individuals from coast to coast. Five people with five different motivations. Five women and men with a heart to see the world’s most vulnerable children thrive.
For these Canadians, World Vision child sponsorship was the answer to a call felt deep within their hearts, a call to help children reach their fullest potential by ensuring their communities are strong, sustainable and resilient.
Ngozi, Stephen, Dilpreet, Cheryl and Stan joined a powerful movement of love—along with 430,948 other Canadian child sponsors—to empower children, and in the process discovered that their lives were being transformed too.
These are their stories.
Ngozi Uzoegwu - Mount Royal, QC
Ngozi saw a World Vision sponsorship advert and immediately knew she’d found what she was looking for. Living for something bigger than herself played a huge part in her sponsorship journey; it was all about purpose.
“At the end of the day it gives you a great sense of purpose, because the life that we live is like a book. When your book is opened, what story will be told about you?”
Ngozi understands that when a child knows the world loves them, when given the chance, they will show love to others.
When it comes to the decision to sponsor a child, she would simply ask, “What legacy are you going to leave behind?”
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Stephen Woo - Richmond Hill, ON
" I will keep on running, even thunderstorm."
When the city of Richmond Hill called Stephen the day before the World Vision Global 6k he was organizing, they asked him if he had a plan B. A storm was forecast for the next day and the race might have to be postponed.
Although not a natural athlete, Stephen decided that he wanted to “do something more meaningful and fair to the world.” Not only was he going to improve his health, he was also making a difference in someone else’s life.
When the city asked that all-important question, Stephen knew his answer:
“Will the life of the kids [be] postponed? If their lives don’t [sic] postpone, the run won’t [be] postponed.”
And so, he ran. Through the storm.
Dilpreet Gill - Surrey, BC
Growing up in Surrey, BC, Dilpreet Gil was raised by a mother who taught her and her sisters to give generously. Now, as an adult, Dilpreet, an accountant, looks at her monthly sponsorship “as an asset, not an expense.”
Dilpreet understands the value of her sponsorship as “investing in the future.” Like Cheryl, sponsorship has expanded Dilpreet’s family and she feels that she now has “somebody on the other side of the world.”
For Dilpreet, she’s “not doing anything special or extraordinary, but I can still set an example and change one person’s life, it’s extraordinary for them.
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Cheryl Pitchford - Markham, ON
For Cheryl, raising her children to understand the value of generosity played a huge part in her family’s decision to sponsor their first child.
“I felt it was very important to teach my children that, when you receive much it is important you give.”
As a family, they would write letters to their sponsored children. Now, years on, Cheryl says it feels like she has four extended grandchildren,
“It’s a wonderful feeling of fulfilment that you are making a difference.”
For Cheryl, sponsorship is more than just giving financially, it’s expanding her heart.
Stan Barriault - Moncton, NB
Stan grew up in a family who didn’t have a lot. When he had his own family, and they were financially able to help others, he and his wife decided that child sponsorship would be the way to give back.
“It’s probably one of the best decisions I made…knowing they appreciate us, as much as we were happy to be there.”
Although Stan and his wife wanted to give back, sponsorship also gave them “an awareness…that there are other people in the world who matter, they just need a little help.”
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Although each of their stories differ, these five Canadians understand the part they play in empowering children and communities. They also understand the value of establishing a legacy that lifts others up.
Will you join this movement? We promise two things: it’s worth it and it works. We’ve seen with our own eyes that love can transform even the hardest places to be a child.
Sponsor a child today