Raising Compassionate Kids

Tell a story that can change the world.

Let me tell you the story behind When I Saw You / When You Saw Me, a children’s book about child sponsorship.

In 2018, I visited Haiti and met two kids that our family sponsors through GlobalFingerprints, a child sponsorship program. The contrast between their care and the many kids outside the program was stark. Through child sponsorship, kids received regular medical check-ups, access to education, and became part of a community that supports them and their families.

I wanted to spread the word, so I reached out to GlobalFingerprints with an idea for a children’s book. This book would teach kids about child sponsorship and what it means to be compassionate world-changers. It’s a double-sided book featuring the perspective of the sponsoring kid on one side and the sponsored kid on the other.

Now, every family that sponsors a child through GlobalFingerpints gets a copy of When I Saw You / When You Saw Me. In a digital and disposable world, we’re giving families a beautiful, tangible resource they can read over and over.

Excerpt from
When I Saw You / When You Saw Me:

You’d think the more stuff that I get,
The happier I would feel.
But with more things comes something else,
And it’s becoming a pretty big deal.

I’ve heard some call it selfishness,
Or not being very grateful.
Could that be what’s happening to me?
I do often forget to say, “Thank you.”

I know I should do a better job
Caring for people around me.
But seeing past myself and my things,
It doesn’t come naturally.

Then one day I see a picture,
A kid not much different than me.
Brown eyes like mine and a shy little grin
Standing near a big tree.