Nancy, a former sponsored child, is standing outside a field wearing a colourful dress.
Jan 15, 2025

Melanie Ramos

From Kenya to Australia

An Australian child sponsor, Georgie, virtually meets her sponsored child Nancy, from Kenya. Watch her emotional reaction to this special video message, 20 years later.
 

Have you ever wondered what happens after a child graduates from World Vision’s child sponsorship program? This is the story of Nancy, a former sponsored child from Kenya, and Georgie, the young woman from Australia who sponsored her.  

Even though it’s been decades since Nancy was Georgie’s sponsored child, the bond that connects them remains intact despite all the years of lost contact. Georgie was moved to tears upon seeing the adult face of the child whose picture she kept on her nightstand for many years, especially when Nancy’s video message began to play on the screen.

Watch Georgie’s reaction to Nancy’s video update

How their story began  

In 1994, 20-year-old Georgie was still living with her parents in Melbourne, Australia. One day, after watching a World Vision documentary, the young woman decided to sponsor a child from Kenya. She did not ask for permission, nor tell anyone about her desire to become a sponsor. A few days later, she received a picture of a little girl in the mail.   

Georgie didn’t realize at the time that she would help bring changes to Nancy’s life that would transform her childhood. The daily essentials that Nancy lacked before—basic health care, education, nutritious food and access to clean water—were now within reach thanks to Georgie’s monthly support.  

To Georgie, she was just doing what felt right in her heart. 

"It was just about giving, and it was about me hoping that I could make a difference," Georgie recalls. 

Let’s hear from Nancy to find out how her life progressed over the years.  

Nancy’s story 

As a child, Nancy couldn’t imagine what her future was going to be like. Born in Kajiado County, in Kenya, she moved with her mother and brothers to Oltepesi, a dry lowland area without running water, after her parents broke up.  

“I remember asking for water for the first time,” Nancy says. “They brought me a brown liquid that looked like African tea. I realized that it was, in fact, water, but it was water from a pond.”   

She also recalls seeing other women and girls in her community spending hours each day fetching water on their backs, sometimes walking up to five kilometres, leaving no time to accomplish other tasks like going to school 

This wasn’t the life young Nancy envisioned for herself. She wanted to study. But because she was a girl, Nancy was discouraged from getting an education or pursuing a career. 

 "A girl was considered – and maybe still is – inferior to a boy. I was not supposed to be brighter than the boys," says Nancy.

But with Georgie providing tangible support and cheering her on, Nancy was able to persevere despite the gender discrimination and poverty she faced and stayed in school.  

And it wasn’t just Nancy who thrived from Georgie’s support. Many students in the area also received new uniforms, books, school bags, clothing and school subsidies thanks to child sponsors like Georgie. Sponsorship also helped build new classrooms and clean water tanks, improving the way of life for everyone in Nancy’s community. 

Nancy’s story doesn’t stop there 

After graduating with top marks from high school, Nancy went on to university to study veterinary medicine. Now in her 30s, Nancy holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in project planning and management from the University of Nairobi.  

Today Nancy is a humanitarian aid worker. She has been to Ethiopia and South Sudan to manage emergency relief efforts. She worked on agricultural and livestock programs in northern Kenya. Since the fall of 2018 she has led the emergency aid response in East Africa for a major international development agency.  

Despite her many career achievements, Nancy is proudest of one thing: her high school diploma. "Even more than my master's degree,” Nancy explains. Because this was the turning point in my life and proved that I could do anything I wanted.” 

In addition to her professional achievements, Nancy is now the mother of a young girl.  

Thanks to the transformation in Nancy’s young life, her daughter’s childhood will look much different from her own.  

Nancy concludes her story with a special message for Georgie. "I'm grateful for what she did, and how much it meant to me. Thanks to Georgie and World Vision, I had the chance to get an education."  

Imagine what the world would be like if more girls like Nancy were sponsored.

Join the movement to sponsor 1,000 girls by March 31, in honour of International Women’s Day.

 

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