We often hear stories about the development of the third world countries, but the reality for many is a life lived on the edge and a daily fight against the bare necessities of life like food, clean water, education and health care. The most affected are the children. Education plays a very important role in breaking the cycle of poverty and creating opportunities.

Child Labor is a worldwide epidemic. Most of these children are between the ages of 6 and 14 and they don’t go to school. These children and families are all too familiar with poverty. It has robbed them of hope and threatens to steal their future. By helping a child living in such extreme poverty we can enable them to experience the fullness of life and help them to escape the grinding cycle of poverty that traps them and give them a home, an education, hope and a future. The best way to change a child's life is to change the world in which they live. By sponsoring a child we can bring about long-term benefits to the sponsored child, their family and community.

Sponsoring Ashok with the money I got by teaching guitar was a pivotal movement of my life. Ashok gave me an insight into the reality of life, a sense of responsibility about being a mentor and taught me to be positive and to never to give up. Sponsoring taught me a lot about myself, what I can do and how much difference I can make in a child’s life who is less privileged then me. I have learned to be thankful and to appreciate the regular things in life which I often take for granted and to work hard for the things I believe in. I also mentor at A to Z an organization where I teach under privileged children math, reading and writing. It gives me immense pleasure to see my students do well in school and in other aspects of life. Through volunteering I have met different people from all aspect of life and made so many new friends. Volunteering helped me to break down the barriers and stereotypes of what people are like, and made me realize that despite our difference we're all part of a global family.

Volunteering is a two-way street. When we try to make a difference in some one’s life the great thing is that we get more of what we give. There’s a lot of things we learn about life outside of where we live. We’re able to see the bigger picture of where in the world we can make our mark. My life now has a renewed meaning, translating to personal positive habits that have made me a more disciplined, helpful , tolerant and sensitive individual. I now understand how even the smallest gestures of goodwill and service go very far to help others in need.