Travel Tips

Regina is my godchild-Patenkind and fortunately lives near where I live. She is a very cute young lady who loves to play ping-pong, does very well on the piano and looooooooooves museums!

She gets a postcard from every trip I take!!!
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Wilma was my first sponsored child through an organization called Plan (or Childreach in the US).

She lives in Bolivia in the Altiplano. Please refer to my Bolivia travelogues on Wilma for more information.
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After the sponsorship for Fatoumata had ended for a wonderful reason and the sponsorship for Tingting was over, I decided to take over another sponsorship for a girl in Mali (I really DID leave my heart there). The latest addition to my wonderful international family is Djeneba.

She lives in the western part of Mali and unfortunately she does not attend school! So far I have only received some general information about her and did receive a first letter from her family, and as soon as I get more information, I will let you all know!

Fatoumata was my second sponsored child through Plan. I started sponsoring her only two weeks after I did Wilma.

Fatoumata lives in Mali together with her very diverse family (I know, that her father has at least two wives). All of the family members are illiterate, but there are volunteers who write the most wonderful letters on behalf of the family members!

I feel very close to Fatoumata and her family! If you are curious, please have a look at my Mali page travelogue!

In September 2006 I was notified that Fatoumata's community was now self sufficient and that the sponsorship was now ended. I am happy and sad at the same time - and I do wish Fatoumata and her family all the very very best!
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PP (as he is called) is the only boy amongst my foster children. He and his two brothers used live in an orphanage called Lar Carolina (now called Meu Direito de Crescer) near Sao Paulo.

PP is a very charming young man, just started school and he definitely prefers playing soccer to writing letters to me!

The orphanage Meu Direito de Crescer is a private institution and is in desperate need of donations - on a regular basis as well as a one time donation! They do a fantastic job and I am glad, that I can support them with just a little donation!!!
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Tingting was a "special" sponsored child from China. She was special in a specific way:

Michael, a web designer from Berlin, who created my external homepage, decided to sponsor her !!! What he did was that he created websites for other people, charged them the exact amount of a one year sponsorship and transferred the money directly to Plan. So far, Michael has built 3 websites, which meant that Tingting and her family were be supported by us for 3 years.

This is Michael's special website:
http://www.hp4patenschaft.de/ (in German only).

I was the one who corresponded with Tingting and her family, sent small presents once in awhile, and got all the information and progress reports.

Tingting turned out to be a busy writer - and she wrote beautiful letters! I love to look at the Chinese handwriting - and of course I am eager to read the English translation!

Since unfortunately the website project was not as successful as we had hoped for, I took over the sponsorship for Tingting two more years and I do hope that she and her family are doing well now that the sponsorship has ended!
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Anabel was my oldest foster child. I did not sponsor her, but I was her "writing buddy", which means, that I kept the contact while somebody else (probably some company) was paying.

Anabel has 5 sisters - and all 6 girls go to school!!! She is the one foster child who lives in a country, that I have not visited yet!!!

In January 2003 I got a letter telling me, that the project supported by PLAN/childreach has been so successful, that now the village will be able to survive without the help of the organisation. And although this means, that I am no longer the writing buddy of Anabel, it also means: they managed to live a better life!!!!
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