Susan Alderson tells us how a trip to Kenya prompted her to sponsor a child - and how that child, through drawings, updates and letters, became part of her family. Through donating a small amount of money to ActionAid, Susan says, we really can make a huge difference to a child's future.
Paap and one of his regular drawings.
I'd been working for ActionAid for a while before I went on a trip to Kenya in 2008 and was moved to sponsor a child. I am hoping that by reading my story you will be inspired to sponsor one of the 2700 children who urgently need sponsoring this Christmas.
Of course, working for ActionAid, I knew in theory why it made sense to sponsor a child. I understood that it meant you'd have a personal link with one child, but also knew that actually the money donated helped the whole community where it was needed most.
But it didn't hit me personally how essential child sponsorship was until I saw with my own eyes some of the horrors and hardship that children go through just to survive.
It was when I met a group of children as young as four who were crushing big, horrible rough stones into smaller rocks in blistering heat with their bare hands that it struck me. They then put these into bags to sell to contribute to their family's income. Little kids who should just be at nursery. This is a country where so many live on less than £1 a day.
A beautiful girl I met, Mariam, was just ten. She carried a jerry can full of water on her head. I remember it was so heavy I couldn't even pick it up. This water was for her family to use throughout the day. She'd wake early to collect it then go off to school - a school that was supported by sponsorship money. Shockingly, one million children are still out of school in Kenya which makes it the ninth highest of any country in the world. But what's of equal concern is the lack of teachers. The average teaching ratio is 50 students to just one teacher.
We regularly say hello to Paap's photo and I tell my two-year-old son all about where Paap is from. When a programme comes on the TV about that part of the world he tells me, "look Paap lives there!"
When I came home I signed up to sponsorship and Paap entered my life. I am sent drawings and letters from him. Now, several years later I am a mum and Paap, now 10, has always been a part of my son's life. His photo and letters where he describes his favourite things to do - playing with his friends ranks highly - are on our fridge door. Before my son was even able to understand, I would tell him about this little boy from Kenya. Paap's life is very different to my own son's. He lost his mum many years ago and sadly didn't know her very well as she left him when he was two. Luckily Paap is surrounded by his six siblings.
We regularly say hello to Paap's photo and I tell my two-year-old son all about where Paap is from. When a programme comes on the TV about that part of the world he tells me, "look Paap lives there!"
To me, this is a great way to teach your child about the wider world. One day I would love for the two boys to meet each other. The letters he sends give me regular updates about his life and the progress that is happening in the community.
Sponsoring a child with ActionAid means that we can help create a better future for them. Child sponsorship doesn't just help change the future for the child, it benefits their loved ones and neighbours too. Only £15 a month, or 50p a day, helps children get access to basic essentials, to healthcare and to education.
Could you, financially, make a space at your family table this Christmas and beyond? Your help will really make a huge difference to a child's life.
For more information, or to sponsor a child, visit the ActionAid website.*
By Susan Alderson
Twitter: @ActionAidUK
You have made that very tempting nanaseaside. 
I do wonder if it is fair to single one child out to help. What about the six siblings mentioned in the blog? Are they sponsored too? Is it better to simply donate a certain amount a month to, say, Unicef?
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