Magdalena - Sometimes We Forget

Magdalena is another one of "our" girls in the Dominican Republic.  Our family has sponsored Magdalena through Compassion International since she was 6 years old.  As of Feb. 28, 2008 she is 11. 

Magdalena lives with her mother, brother and sister.  Not long after we started sponsoring her, her mother and father separated.  Today, Magdalena says she thinks of me as her father. 

Magdalena is a shy, sweet girl who writes letters to us often.  Up until January 2008, she used to say that she can't wait to meet her "sisters."  In January, Magdalena met her sisters, when we went to the Dominican Republic on a Sponsor Tour with Compassion International.

Seeing Magdalena in person, it's easy to forget the poverty she lives with every day. In September of 2007, Magdalena nearly died of dengue fever.  Dengue fever is a disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes.  It also goes by other another name, "break bone fever" because victims often have contortions due to the intense joint and muscle pain.

Had Magdalena not been in the Compassion International child sponsorship program, it's likely that her family would not have been able to get her the medical attention she needed.  Magdalena was admitted into the hospital for 9 days and received intravenous fluids, and medicines to help her recover.  Compassion provided both financial support, as well as social and spiritual support to Magdalena and her family.  This support was vital in her recovery.

Unfortunately many children around the world aren't as fortunate as Magdalena.  Here's a few statistics:

• 6.5 million children die every year of hunger related illnesses

   That's 12 children every minute

• The average life expectancy in developing countries is half that of developed countries

• According to the United Nations, poverty is defined as living on less than $1 per day

You can help a child like Magdalena for just $32 a month. To learn more, go to Compassion.com