First impressions

Having been impressed already with what I had seen on the website I have continued to be impressed since becoming a sponsor. Messages from the two-part-time staff the Project employs are prompt, polite and professional ~ yet warm too, giving a very personal impression of people who genuinely care about the work they do and appreciate the importance of not taking anyone, including any sponsor, for granted.

Another nice surprise was a message on my answer-machine from Project Mala’s Chairman, Robin Garland asking if I was happy with being a sponsor so far. I was flabbergasted but impressed and delighted to receive such a message. If only other organisations took the time and trouble to value its customers / supporters I thought.

It was lovely to receive Christmas greetings from Project Mala. I can think of nothing nicer to see at Christmas than a picture of some of the Project’s children and the bikes the project has provided them with to get to school. As a sponsor it made me feel included in the Project’s work and not forgotten once I had ‘signed on the dotted line’ to become a sponsor. The enclosed Newsletter updated me on recent work of the Project. I really enjoy reading about the lives of some of the children Project Mala is working with and seeing some pictures.

This newsletter also has a picture of a sponsor with their child at a Project Mala school. The project encourages all sponsors to visit schools and see the child they sponsor in class. Maybe this is something I will do one day. I also enjoy reading in the newsletter about the innovative and pragmatic ways Project Mala works. For example it was noticed that none of the children at Mala schools wore glasses. It was not possible for the children to go to an optician so the teachers have been trained to carry out a simple eye test to help establish which of the children have an eye problem. I feel sincerely grateful to Project Mala for their hard work with the children and for giving me this opportunity to be involved in some small way. I look forward to finding out more about Project Mala in 2010.