“I Will Never Stop Dreaming”

Children in Holt’s child sponsorship program love to thank their sponsors in the U.S. with letters and drawings. Here’s a letter from 14-year-old Earl in the Philippines.

Earl lives in the Philippines with his father and mother. His father works as a street food vendor, while his mother stays home to take care of their household. With a tight budget from a single income, Earl’s schooling was at risk. Forced to choose between daily essentials and the cost of school supplies, his education had to come second.

But Earl’s future changed when a Holt sponsor stepped in.

Through monthly sponsorship, 10-year-old Earl no longer had to worry about the cost of school or how it impacted his family. Instead, sponsorship gave him the freedom to focus on his studies and enjoy his childhood.

Earl is now in 8^th grade and enjoys sudoku, reading about history and cooking for his family. He’s a diligent student and proud to be at the top of his class. His best subjects are English and technology, and he plans to complete his education through 12^th grade. As a shy 14-year-old, Earl tends to keep to himself, but his friends say he is a kind, thoughtful and loyal friend.

Recently, Earl wrote a letter to thank his sponsors for their help. He promises to “never stop dreaming” because of their support:

My name is Earl. I am 14 years old. I started participating in sponsor[ship] when I was in grade 4, and now I’m in grade 8. My favorite thing to do is read books about history.

First of all, thank you for helping my family, who are able to reduce costs because of what you gave. And most importantly, I would like to thank you for your help in my stud[ies], which helped me a lot. I’ve always been in the top 1 or 2, or with honors. And now in grade 8, I graduated with high honors. I also participated in the sudoku puzzle [competition], and I was top 2 in our school. … I promise you that as long as you help me and hold on to something, I will never stop dreaming of myself and [my] family. Thank you very much.

God Bless,

Earl