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One in a Million
By Brandy Campbell
Fellow Kpodo can't count to a million. He doesn't know a million people. Even if he traveled to nearby Lomé, the largest city in his country of Togo, and met every person there, he'd still be a few hundred thousand short.
One million seems far too big a number to grasp for this quiet 8-year-old with somber brown eyes.
But Fellow recently became Compassion's 1 millionth sponsored child, marking the first time in the ministry's history that 1 million children were concurrently sponsored.
A million doesn't mean much to Fellow, though. His daily life is made up of dozens of smaller numbers that better tell his story. They reveal his poverty — but also his hopes.
5 in the Morning
It's 5 o'clock in the morning, and Edoh, Fellow's father, steps quietly around the mat on which his two sons sleep.
Fellow's arm is slung over his younger brother's back. A thin blanket is tangled in their sweaty legs.
Edoh hovers over them for a moment, watching them sleep — wishing he didn't have to wake them. But chores need to be done, and Edoh likes to at least see all of his children awake before he leaves for his job as a driver.
This wasn't the life Edoh envisioned for his family. He wishes it were his wife waking their children with a gentle touch, his wife braiding his daughters' hair and patching the boys' pants.
But five years ago, Edoh's wife was struck by a car and killed. She left behind a husband so broken by grief that the daily tasks of feeding and clothing his
four children seemed impossible.
But sometimes, there is no choice.
12-Minute Walk
Once Fellow is up and dressed, he sets off on the 12-minute walk to school. His schoolbooks are stuffed into a plastic shopping bag, and he wears the handles stretched across his shoulders like a backpack.
He likes the walk, and he likes to be able to go to school.
Fellow's school is made of thick sticks, and on windy, rainy days the children crowd toward the middle of their room to avoid getting wet.
During French class, Fellow notices the headmaster making his rounds. He walks into each class, consults a list, and sends home the students who haven't paid their fees for the quarter.
Fellow stares at his desk, remembering the times he was sent home for lack of $6.
But Fellow knows he won't be sent home again for not paying his fees. His Compassion sponsor, whom his father calls his "guardian," will ensure that.
The monthly support she sends will cover his education as well as medical care and meals at the Compassion center. Not because he's Compassion's millionth sponsored child — but simply because he's sponsored.
2 Dollars a Day
It is noon, and Fellow and his friends crouch in the red dirt in front of his cement row house, tossing marbles into the dust.
Nearby, Fellow's sisters stir a pot of cassava (a root) and canned tomatoes.
This will be the only meal of the day for Fellow's family. Although Edoh makes sure his family always has food, there is rarely enough.
"Raising my family has been very hard," Edoh says. "Half of my pay (U.S.$2 a day) goes to rent. I can usually buy groceries only two weeks out of the month. The rest of the time I put it on credit. I don't even know how much debt I have. I just do what I can to feed my children."
With the sponsorship, Edoh feels a bit of the pressure relieved. He sees Fellow's sponsor as a partner. They've never met, but they have the same goal — to provide a path out of poverty for Fellow.
1 Sponsor, 1 Child
At dusk the sun sets, but the temperature stays in the 90s.
Tired of doing their homework in the shade, Fellow and his friends start a soccer game in the street, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the bigger boys join in, bloody knees soon follow.
It has been a long day, and the other children grow cranky. Fellow's little brother builds a pile of rocks in the corner, then dissolves into tears when it topples over.
Fellow distracts him, and together they scoop up some coal from a large pile in the courtyard.
Fellow makes a small fire to warm up the leftovers from lunch. He doesn't complain, even as the smoke blows into his face.
There are few things Fellow complains about. He has learned that his complaints of being hungry or wanting new shoes make his dad sad. And Fellow hates it when his dad is sad.
Besides, he has a sponsor now. And he sees how happy that makes his dad. He doesn't fully understand what it means, but he will learn.
He will learn how special it is to have someone care about him. How powerful the prayers of a sponsor truly are. He'll get letters that he'll keep and share with his friends.
Fellow really doesn't need to understand a million. He just needs to understand one.
One child. One sponsor.
One.
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