When we ask sisters Mew and Nan if they’ve kept any of the letters they’ve received from their sponsors over the years, their mom already has them on hand. She gives a small stack of letters to each of her girls.

“No, that one’s mine!” Nan says to her sister, excitedly exchanging her stack of letters with Mew’s.

Mick, their social worker, laughs. “They know exactly which one is their sponsor!” she says.

Among the letters are birthday and Christmas cards, as well as well wishes for back-to-school season. The girls proceed to show us their stuffed animals and ride a small tricycle that they keep near the back door of their kitchen — toys they received because of the support of their sponsors.

In addition to providing these fun things, their sponsors are the ones who make it possible for Mew and Nan to go to school.

This is an excerpt from a longer story that appeared in Holt's fall 2017 sponsorship magazine.