A journey of learning and love
Actress Kimberly Crossman travelled to Uganda with her now-husband Tom and World Vision to visit communities supported by Kiwi sponsors. She wanted to see for herself what life is like for girls facing child marriage and gender inequality, and if Kiwis like you and her are really making a difference.
As a long-time child sponsor and World Vision Ambassador, Kimberly wanted to understand the unique challenges girls and women face in Uganda. She also wanted to see for herself whether child sponsorship works. If Kiwis like you and her could really empower girls to break barriers and write their own futures.
Kimberly and Tom filmed an inspirational 14-minute mini documentary about what they found, which you can watch now.
Kimberly met young women who had escaped child marriage, and others who had been forced to marry and were struggling to stay in school because they had babies to care for.
“I just kept thinking; how can I help? What can I do?” she says.
She also visited local schools supported by New Zealand sponsors and saw that education is a major key to changing girls’ lives and futures.
“It does feel that educating young women – not only in their school studies but also in their rights, their bodies, their future – can really change the trajectory of their lives and avoid them being subjected to child marriage,” Kimberley says.
“I just feel so lucky to be able to be on the ground and meet some of these brave and empowered young women,” she says.
The highlight of her trip was meeting her sponsored child, 11-year-old Jackline.
“As soon as we arrived, she came up to me and hugged me and then she hugged Tom and broke that barrier. It didn’t feel forced, it felt beautiful,” says Kimberly.
She was full of emotion thinking about how Jackline and the entire community accepted both, her and Tom as part of the family.
“We will continue to play a really important role in her life. She wants to be a doctor. I know Tom and I will do everything we can to help support her in her schooling."
“As someone who has sponsored a child and who has had the absolute pleasure of meeting her, it does change your life!” says Kimberly.
“Girls are seen often as property that can be sold. You have the opportunity to make a girl feel important and empowered, and that someone, somewhere around the planet is caring about her. It’s a very small price to pay to help a girl write her own future.”
“I don’t want to sugarcoat it, women in Uganda have it pretty tough ... You know, abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, these are all things that ... need to change.”
“I feel really proud to be working with World Vision ... to see firsthand the good it is doing and how responsive the communities in Uganda are to this work,” she says.
Kimberley is on a mission to see 1,000 girls sponsored and free to go to school. Free from child marriage. Free from fear.
Thank you so much Kimberley and Tom for your awe-inspiring documentary and for your heart for girls around the world. And thank you to every Kiwi supporter helping girls to become all they were created to be.
Learn more about how you can join Kimberly and help 1,000 girls fight for their futures.
As a long-time child sponsor and World Vision Ambassador, Kimberly wanted to understand the unique challenges girls and women face in Uganda. She also wanted to see for herself whether child sponsorship works. If Kiwis like you and her could really empower girls to break barriers and write their own futures.
Kimberly and Tom filmed an inspirational 14-minute mini documentary about what they found, which you can watch now.
Kimberly met young women who had escaped child marriage, and others who had been forced to marry and were struggling to stay in school because they had babies to care for.
“I just kept thinking; how can I help? What can I do?” she says.
She also visited local schools supported by New Zealand sponsors and saw that education is a major key to changing girls’ lives and futures.
“It does feel that educating young women – not only in their school studies but also in their rights, their bodies, their future – can really change the trajectory of their lives and avoid them being subjected to child marriage,” Kimberley says.
“I just feel so lucky to be able to be on the ground and meet some of these brave and empowered young women,” she says.
The highlight of her trip was meeting her sponsored child, 11-year-old Jackline.
“As soon as we arrived, she came up to me and hugged me and then she hugged Tom and broke that barrier. It didn’t feel forced, it felt beautiful,” says Kimberly.
She was full of emotion thinking about how Jackline and the entire community accepted both, her and Tom as part of the family.
“We will continue to play a really important role in her life. She wants to be a doctor. I know Tom and I will do everything we can to help support her in her schooling."
“As someone who has sponsored a child and who has had the absolute pleasure of meeting her, it does change your life!” says Kimberly.
“Girls are seen often as property that can be sold. You have the opportunity to make a girl feel important and empowered, and that someone, somewhere around the planet is caring about her. It’s a very small price to pay to help a girl write her own future.”
“I don’t want to sugarcoat it, women in Uganda have it pretty tough ... You know, abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, these are all things that ... need to change.”
“I feel really proud to be working with World Vision ... to see firsthand the good it is doing and how responsive the communities in Uganda are to this work,” she says.
Kimberley is on a mission to see 1,000 girls sponsored and free to go to school. Free from child marriage. Free from fear.
Thank you so much Kimberley and Tom for your awe-inspiring documentary and for your heart for girls around the world. And thank you to every Kiwi supporter helping girls to become all they were created to be.
Learn more about how you can join Kimberly and help 1,000 girls fight for their futures.