I have been a supporter of the Foster Parents Plan (now known as ‘The Plan’) for many years. I had always been impressed by their advertisements and the fact that I would get a letter every few months from the kid that I was sponsoring.

Well this trip has changed my viewpoint a little bit.

On their website they state “For as little as $1 a day, you can help provide a child with access to life’s basic necessities including safe water, schooling, and medical care. Make a lasting difference.” I have no doubt that this is correct. What they don’t state on their website or anywhere else that I could find was that the $1 per day buys new vehicles every couple of years and allows for the staff to eat at restaurants every day.

OK, maybe that is a bit harsh but I have never seen a Plan vehicle (all 4×4 pickup trucks) that was more than 2 years old and the only place I have seen one is either driving around town or parked at the one of the local Pollo Compero restaurants. Now I understand that people have to eat but why there? The majority of the population takes a bag lunch to work and they don’t drive around town in brand new vehicles. Most take the bus or walk or ride with 10 other people in the back of a local farmers truck.

Now this was not an isolated incident. Over the six weeks that I was in Central America I saw this about twelve times and not just in one town. I saw it in many different towns with many different vehicles and staff. I even saw one time where The Plan vehicle was illegally parked (too close to a corner) and because of this the bus couldn’t make the corner. It blocked traffic for 30 minutes until someone showed up to move it. (Oh yes, they were having lunch at Pollo Compero).

This trip has made me rethink my association with this organization and I am planning to cancel my sponsorship next week.