Top 10 Reasons to Give a Legacy Gift to Mitrata
“When I attended the Mitrata Trivia Night in Seattle, Amy Benson gave an amazing speech on the top 10 reasons to support Mitrata. So, when I was asked to speak on why I have chosen to make a Legacy Gift to Mitrata, I decided to steal Amy’s idea and give my Top 10 Reasons to Leave a Legacy Gift to Mitrata.
10. I’m going to start with the obvious. Unlike the ancient Egyptians who thought you could take your riches with you into the afterlife, we know better. You can’t take it with you
9. I will leave some money to my brothers, my nieces and nephews. They might use it to pay off a student loan or a mortgage. The money will be helpful to them, but it won’t substantially change their lives, because they already have their basic needs met.
8. In contrast, the children of Nepal do need the money, or more precisely, the resources that the money can provide. Their lives WILL be substantially changed. I’ll never forget what Susmita, one of Mitrata’s sponsored children, said to me on my first trip to Nepal. She said “Our parents gave us birth, but you are giving us a life.”
I remember being blown away at the time. Here was a teenager, with such a mature perspective. She knew what her life would have been without Mitrata and BSF’s help, and here she was thanking me, a complete stranger, for changing her life.
7. I don’t need to take Susmita’s word for it. I have seen firsthand what Mitrata and BSF can do. Let me tell you about Puja, the young woman whom I sponsor. She faces many challenges in addition to poverty, including albinism and the visual limitations which often accompany that condition. On my first visit to Nepal, her friends gathered around me and told me about Puja, because she herself was too shy to say much. They told me that Puja cried herself to sleep every night, saying, “I don’t have a future.”
Well, the future is here, and Puja now is a happy, confident young woman with a university degree in education. After graduation she volunteered at the Contact Center and now is teaching at a school in southern Nepal. The transformation in her life has been nothing short of miraculous.
Contrast this outcome, with what Puja’s life would have been like without Mitrata and BSF. She would not have earned a bachelor’s degree. She likely would have remained in her village where she would have become dependent on others. She would have had little choice about her life. She certainly would not have the bright future which she has today.
6. While Puja’s story is remarkable, her’s is not the only one. The children of Nepal live in desperate poverty. They not only lack education, they lack other necessities like food, clean water, safe shelter, medical care. There are countless stories. I heard some of those again recently, as Leena and Yogesh told the sponsors at a sponsor coffee about their children and about the help that BSF staff provides. To date more than 60 children have graduated and are living happy productive lives in a career of their own choosing. It’s really astounding.
5. A gift to Mitrata is the gift that keeps on giving. We are not only changing the lives of the children who are sponsored, we are changing the lives of all of the people whom they will touch. Educated children become educated parents who can afford a decent life for their families and provide an education to their children in turn. And then those children will grow up to provide education to their children, and so on down the line. The ripple effect gives our contributions an exponential value.
4. The children are not only given resources, they are given many intangibles as well. Leena and Yogesh and the BSF staff truly love and care for each individual child, even when that child is being difficult. Their love helps give each child a sense of family, a sense of belonging. The BSF staff believe each child is valuable, which help to give each child a sense of self-worth. The BSF staff believe each child can grow up to have a productive, satisfying life, which helps to give each child a sense of hope. The children therefore not only have a chance to have an education and a career, but also a positive sense of themselves which is necessary for true happiness.
3. I trust the organizations of Mitrata and BSF. I have been a board member for over 10 years. Unlike many organizations where egos, power struggles and personal greed corrupt the original mission, Mitrata and BSF have stayed focused on the welfare of children. Everyone doesn’t always agree, but everyone always makes decisions based on what they believe is best for the children. Our joint organizations have stayed true to their mission.
2. Mitrata and BSF are planning for the future. They continue working on sustainability plans and contingency plans, so that I can trust that whatever happens, the money that I leave will continue to be used for the welfare of the children in Nepal.
1. On a personal note, I don’t have children of my own. But I am blessed to have had children in my life: my nieces and nephews, my students, Puja, and the children of Mitrata and BSF.
One of my favorite plays is Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Without giving too much away, the main character Joe makes a decision which later on has dire consequences for other families, other children. In the end, Joe comes to realize that they were “all his sons.”
That’s what I believe, too, although I would make the statement less gender specific! We are all connected, we are all part of the human family, and they are all our children. By leaving a legacy provision for Mitrata in my will, I will be providing for children, and that gives me not only a great sense of satisfaction, but comfort, too.
“In my life, I have tried to make a difference. By leaving a legacy to Mitrata, I will continue making a difference, even in death. I can think of no better use for my money.”
Written By: Pam Hughes
Longtime Child Sponsor, Mitrata Board Member, and Former Sponsorship Committee Chair
