By CASEY NEILL
PETULA Fletcher has experienced first-hand the difference her child sponsorship is making.
The Springvale pharmacy owner, her husband Chris, son Alexander and father Charles made a detour to visit their World Vision sponsor child Ayodya during a recent family holiday to Sri Lanka.
“We went down south to Galle and it took us about three and a half hours to get to where our sponsor child is,” she said.
“My dad speaks Singalese so he was able to converse with them.”
“We met the child, her parents and some of the members of her extended family.
“The child is only about three so I don’t think she fully understood what was going on, but her parents did and they were extremely welcoming.
“We gave her some presents that we bought from Australia, like a flag and a koala.”
Ms Fletcher said Ayodya’s family home was better than she was expecting.
“There were no doors or windows or anything like that, but they had pretty good living conditions – they were adequate, and they were happy in their home,” she said.
“Just recently, I think before our visit, World Vision had provided them with septic tank-style toilet, which really improved their living conditions.”
She said there was no gas to the property so the family used a wood stove to cook meals.
“Someone had given them a small solar generator so at night they could run one light bulb,” she said.
She said the visit made a strong impression on her eight-year-old son.
“Even though none of the children could speak to each other, they knew exactly what to do,” Ms Fletcher said.
“I don’t think he really had an understanding of it beforehand, even though with have the little girls’ picture on our mantelpiece.
“Going there, he now understands the difference situations that people can live in, what poverty actually means and how the living conditions in Australia are so much better and how lucky we are in Australia.”
She said Alexander tidied his room and put aside toys for Ayodya.
“It’s in his mind now as well,” she said.
The Fletchers have sponsored Ayodya for about two years.
“We had another sponsor child in India prior to that who aged out of the program,” she said.
“I think all up we’ve probably been with World Vision for 10 years.”
They signed up as sponsors at a World Vision stall in a shopping centre.
“I was born in Australia but of Sri Lankan descent,” Ms Fletcher said.
“My husband was born in India and came here when he was two.
“We wanted to make a difference and being able to eventually go to visit the child was a really good experience.”
Ms Fletcher said sometimes people didn’t see the tangible outcomes of their donations.
“Seeing it for real made it clear in our minds – exactly what the living conditions are and how the money is being used,” she said.
“It was a really fantastic experience.”
