[Malasia] World Vision To Find Sponsors For Children In Poverty

from The Malasian National News Agency

World Vision Malaysia, a relief and development organisation, is looking for individuals and corporations to sign up as sponsors of 1,000 children from poor communities in China, India, Thailand and Myanmar.

Its executive director, Liew Tong Ngan, said the World Vision 1000 Children in One Month Campaign will run from Wednesday until April 15.

The campaign was launched by its newly appointed ambassador, Malaysia-born, Taiwan-based singer Fish Leong, here Wednesday.

Leong was joined by other World Vision Malaysia ambassadors, award-winning female vocalist Francisca Peter and Miss Malaysia/World 2003/2004 Wong Sze Zen, at the press conference.

Liew said that for an annual sponsorship of RM600 per child, each sponsor would receive a picture folder complete with information on the sponsored child, the community in which he or she lives in.

"Every minute counts in the lives of those we seek to help. Statistics show that a child dies of starvation or malnutrition-related causes every seven seconds," he added.

For Francisca Peter, sponsoring a child through the World Vision programme was one of the ways for her to help the children in poverty to have a better future.

She is sponsoring a boy from Coimbatore in India.

"The beauty of this programme is about transparency. You know where your money is going to. Everything is accounted for. The money doesn't just sponsor the child alone but the family and the community around him.

"We help them to help themselves. When we help them, that community will be enriched. We do write to them and we get updates on their progress", said Francisca. World Vision Malaysia will open a booth for child sponsorship from 10 am to 5 pm on March 26 at Plaza Mont Kiara, Bukit Kiara, with performances by Francisca.