Meet Manuel

Age: 5

Region: South Asia

Country: Bangladesh

Program: Beldanga Child Sponsorship Program

Personal and Family Information: Manuel lives with his grandfather and his grandmother. His duties at home include caring for animals.

There are 2 children in the family. His grandfather is sometimes employed as a laborer and his grandmother maintains the home.

As part of Compassion's ministry, Manuel participates in Bible class. He is also in pre-school where his performance is average. Soccer and playing with cars are his favorite activities.

He lives in an area with higher risk of exploitation and abuse.

He will be getting the wonderful news today that he has a sponsor, after a long awaited 280 days!

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I have wanted to sponsor children for a long time, but have never had the finances to do it. That's a lie - because I've always had the finances to do it, I was just too selfish. We have been regularly tithing since January 1st, but haven't been giving the full 10%. I will be sponsoring one child for this paycheck, and another on my next paycheck. Those children + our church tithe = 10%+ back to God. Will it stop here? I don't think so. It always feels good to give back. We live in such a selfish society - I can't believe it took me almost 22 years to start giving back. Better late than never, I guess?

I chose Manuel because he was waiting for the longest time out of all the children and he was in a high risk area. I love the fact that he likes playing soccer! I can't wait to start receiving letters and updates from him. Giving back to the church is rewarding in itself, but actually seeing young lives being changed for the better? That's extremely rewarding to me - that I can make a difference in someone's life.

Do you want more information on how to sponsor a child? Visit Compassion International to learn more.