Birthdays

For children living in extreme poverty, birthdays are typically not celebrated or even recognized. Compassion knows that every child is special and unique and every child is cherished. Sponsors are encouraged to send an extra monetary gift to their child for his/her birthday so an appropriate gift can be purchased for the child (it will likely be the only gift they receive). Sponsors may also send birthday cards.

In the past, I've always sent a little extra for birthday gifts and written a letter to my child that they could read on their birthday. This year I decided to go a little more above and beyond and make a birthday card for Isadora. I'm going to do the same for my other girls when their birthdays get closer because it was so much fun!

It doesn't have to be anything extreme but I'm a crafty person so I decided to go all out and make a pop-up birthday card. It's actually super easy I used instructions from this website and came up with this:

 This is the inside after I finished all of the pop-ups but before I finished decorating. She is turning 13, hence the 13. Please notice the thirteen balloons and thirteen strings I painstakingly cut out, glued together, and braided. (It's all construction paper). :)

 The front of the card - "Happy Birthday Isadora" in Portuguese. Please note the thirteen hearts and thirteen stars because she's turning thirteen :) Then she'll open it and see this...

The finished inside. "Te Amo" inside the heart means "I love you" and I wrote our names around the perimeter of the heart. I had Lorenna (who was our interpreter on the visit day in Brazil - we still talk) helped me with the translation. It reads "To my beautiful sister, I hope you have a wonderful day!"

The back. This is something I've done for my friends on their 21st birthday cards this year - writing 21 things I love about them. I decided to do the same for her and write 13 things - because she's turning 13 :)

I'm so excited for her to get it!!! :)

If this has inspired you to make your own card for your child - remember to put your sponsor number and the child's number somewhere on the card!!

Also, please note that if you don't know anything in the language your child speaks and want to make them a card - that's totally fine. Make it all in English and someone will translate and make sure the child knows what you are saying.