I received an email with an interesting question, so I thought I’d write a bit about it.

The person was asking: so what do you do at HOCT? How does HOCT even function?

At Help One Child Thrive (HOCT), we pair each person willing to help to a child in need. We have many, many children on the waiting list, so there is always someone you can help.

Usually, people take a long-time commitment (1-2 years at least) and become “long-distance parents” developing a true bond of affection with their child. We facilitate phone and video communication, letter exchange and we provide monthly updates of the child’s progress. People see their children as often as it is humanly possible, and many children call the sponsors “mother” or “father”.

How much does it cost? This is a frequently asked question. Now of course, us being a charity, we cannot fix prices. Each person donates according to their own possibilities. However, a minimum of 25 euros per month offers a good batch of food to the child in your care.

I usually pick the food items and my colleague, Mugoya, buys and distributes them. HOCT is coordinated by us two, with love and patience and a lot of hard work. We never take days off and we are always present to help the children and to answer the sponsors’ questions. We deal with all the legal aspects of our work and we always make sure to comply to all international regulations.

What else?

You can help a child for a longer period of time, or to offer a one-time donation. You will receive the same feedback as anyone else: a photo with the child receiving the food from you and a small letter of gratitude, which the children love to write (and we encourage them, because we must all practice gratitude).

In our work, we are blessed to see the good side of humanity each day. If you want to see a bit how life is at HOCT, you can send a one-time donation through PayPal at: contact@helponechildthrive.com, or via our IBANS. If you want to use Revolut, I can help you with some instructions.

How can we be reached?

By Email: contact@helponechildthrive.com

By Facebook, my profile is public and Facebook-verified. You can send a message through there or a Friend-Request, I do not mind.

Also on Facebook, you will find our official page, Help One Child Thrive.

If you need me, I am at your service!

Choose to do well and feed one child!

With love,

Veronica

It’s been a long week… but we work with love.

It was a long, complicated day at HOCT. My mind was also rather scattered, I could not focus well. A little bit of burn-out accumulates.

We worked on many children, some of which have various malformations. Joseph Bumba has a very oddly-shaped skull; little Kato has a deformed spine and his whole body is like a ball; Igalo suffers from sickle-cell disease and is very weak; Kitimbo is the girl whose life we saved when she was suffering from macrodactyly (you remember? She had two huge fingers!).

Those types of malformations are often occurring; I don’t really know why. I presume that the environmental factors, the polluted water, the poor nourishment of the pregnant women – all of these contribute to the birth of such children.

But I love them nonetheless.
Few are the brave people who accept to take care of a sick child. Over the course of our long activity, we sometimes lose some of them. It crushes me every time. I hope we will have no more losses and that all those little ones will have a good, comfortable life, with nourishing food and plenty of love from us.

We should never give up trying to heal our wounded world.

To see them happy and well – this is all the reward I ever need.

I need to remember this more often, especially on days like these, when I arrive home late from my work and I start my second work…

I have had a beautiful day, filled with good news, balanced activities from all sides, and good friends pouring their energy into beautiful acts of kindness.

I am tired, hungry and my head hurts a bit but we fed 30 children today, we nurtured 3 more back to health, and we are resting in the contemplation of the people’s kindness.

It’s a good day.

Work lovingly done by Veronica Anghelescu and Mugoya Swaliki

Lovely media by Mihaela Florentina Stoica

Everlasting kindness by #hoctfamily

What a rich day of work has it been! We’ve accomplished so much. Sometimes, no more words are needed. Our work speaks for itself.

Work lovingly done by Mugoya Swaliki and Veronica Anghelescu
Media by Mihaela Florentina Stoica
Love by HOCT Friends and Family

At HOCT, we welcome children of all ages and colors: White, black, albino. Of all religions: Muslim, Christian, Born-Again. Of all ages, from infancy to 18 years old.

Those who smile and those who do not smile. Those who are cute and those who have burn-marks on their face.

To care for a child is the most beautiful, the most meaningful act of kindness we can do in our wounded world. I wish I could help those harmed in battle, but I cannot reach them. I am in this corner of the world and I do my part here.

At HOCT, we work with our heart. We are color-blind.

Work lovingly done by Veronica Anghelescu and Mugoya Swaliki

Media by Mihaela Stoica

Sometimes, everything happens. We’ve had a day with bad weather and sunny weather, with plenty of children coming to pick their food, with new (heartbreaking) cases, with children smiling and others fearing the camera, with severely sick and joyously healthy ones. So much happens in a day, and we work our way through it with patience, with love and understanding.

Look at that boy called Joseph. His head is oddly shaped, but he is not mentally disabled. He is a good, sensitive and smart child and he is very grateful that a sponsor accepted him.

And look at that little girl, called Gift! Such a special name. It is the first time in my life (and hers) that I see her smiling. It brings such joy to my heart.

It has been a hard day of work, but beautiful and full of accomplishments; I am grateful.

Work lovingly done by Veronica Anghelescu and Mugoya Swaliki

Media by Mihaela Stoica