My Christmas wish

Racing cars, a football, maths … and a blanket

Imagine if this Christmas, a little boy went to sleep under a thick, warm winter blanket for the first time. It might seem basic, but this could be the last time he and his brothers have to huddle together, fighting the bitter mountain breeze that sweeps through their home after dark.

Victor is 10 years old and has very clear ideas about the priorities in his life: his racing cars, a football for after school games, learning mathematics so that he can be a builder one day – and a blanket to sleep under at night. He wants to become a builder when he grows up because:

At home in the mountains

Victor lives in a mountainous region of Honduras. While Honduras is known for its sunny beaches and tropical climate, this is the country’s cold spot, where temperatures can drop close to freezing.

However, houses in the mountains are still built with wood and mud and straw bricks, just like the rest of the country. The gaps in the walls, which are not a problem in warmer regions, offer little protection against the cold of this mountain home.

“Sometimes it's hot here, other times it rains all day,” Victor shares. “But when it's cold, it's very cold. I have to wear a coat on those days, or I get sick.” The problem is that many families, like Victor’s, don’t have extra layers to stay warm when the weather turns cold. One in two people in Honduras live in poverty. The country has one of the highest levels of inequality in the world, add to that the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic aftershocks, and the cold is simply another hardship in the chain. A chain of barriers keeping children from living life to the full.

Warmer winter: Brighter future

Things changed for Victor and his brothers when World Vision partnered with his community and he became part of the Child Sponsorship programme. Our work here is tackling the barriers that hold children back one by one, so they’ll have what they need to build a brighter future: food, clean water, school supplies, medical care, and protection.

For Victor and 343 other children nearby, that includes the simple gift of a blanket to keep warm at night and feel protected when harsh winds blow.

Now that he can sleep cosily, Victor’s thoughts are with other children who still can’t.

“I have classmates who live close by and they don't have much to bundle up. That's why I ask God to take care of them, to protect them. I pray they will live happily at home, that they never get sick and that when they are cold. Help them to keep warm as you sent help for me.”

This Christmas Eve, Victor will fall asleep snuggled deep in his new warm and cosy blanket – for the first Christmas ever. But that is just the beginning. Because, thanks to his sponsor, more children will have a happier Christmas and a brighter future – just as he prayed.

Our community-focused solutions mean that for every child you help, 4 more children benefit too.

What first can you give to a child, like Victor, this Christmas?