Soon, Julie will be dancing with her godchild...

After six years as a sponsor with Butterfly Friends, Julie Clausen (27) will soon finally get to meet her sponsored child face to face.

By Lisbeth Skøelv

A preschool teacher from Hamar came into contact with Butterfly Friends through a friend who was already a sponsor with the Vikersund-based aid organization. “She had been to Gambia several times herself. “I’ve always wanted to help, and that’s when I heard about a project that really captured my interest,” she says.

She didn’t know anything about Gambia—the smallest country in mainland Africa and one of the poorest—before she joined the organization, but she learned a bit from her friend who was a sponsor. “She told me about the schools and the experiences she’d had in The Gambia, and that’s when I decided to help, too.”

In 2018, Julie therefore signed up as a sponsor with Butterfly Friends and was assigned the sponsored child Mama S Joof, who is now 13 years old. In addition to sponsoring the girl’s education through a monthly donation of 200 kroner to Butterfly Friends, she also helps her and her family with food expenses. This is organized through the sponsorship organization. “I send money for rice and cooking oil to the family three times a year. I also send packages to my sponsored child. I receive thank-you letters and photos through Butterfly Friends, and of course I’m very happy about that,” says Julie, who likes to see proof that the money and assistance are reaching their destination.

In November, the 27-year-old will travel to The Gambia for the first time to visit her sponsored child. What is she most looking forward to? “I’m really looking forward to hugging and dancing around with my sponsored child. To be with her at school and look at her books, and to visit her family at home. Not least, to learn about the culture and meet the people. I love learning new things, which is why I’m incredibly excited about the trip in November,” Julie affirms. She has a message for everyone who hasn’t yet become a sponsor through Butterfly Friends: Join us and help poor children who otherwise have no chance of attending school and getting an education.

– Butterfly Friends provides free schooling and a hot lunch every day to the poorest children in The Gambia. They have well-educated teachers who produce well-educated students. Now these children have the opportunity to help themselves and get a paying job in the future. The best thing we can do is help those who have nothing. Become a sponsor, too,” concludes Julie Clausen.