KUALA LUMPUR, 9 January - "And the dreams that we dare to dream really do come true" so sang Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz. Living out the reality of Dorothy’s song are Ornanong Panyawong Awakul from Thailand and Richard Supat of The Philippines, two former sponsored children under World Vision's Child Sponsorship Programme.

Ornanong's life was changed when she joined the World Vision Child Sponsorship Programme. From having to drop out of school to support her large family, she went on to complete her education, obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts from Chulalongkorn University, and was crowned Miss Thailand 1992. Today, she is a well known actress, TV host and a spokesperson for World Vision Foundation of Thailand.

World Vision is an international humanitarian organisation. Through its International Child Sponsorship Programme, World Vision offers those who can give the opportunity to improve the lives of children in need by sharing resources, hope and experiences in overcoming poverty. Through the programme, those who are interested sign up as child sponsors and contribute to the community's goal of improving life for the sponsored children.

Sponsors' contributions help deliver health and educational improvements and support vital development in the communities where the sponsored children live.

The success of World Vision's community-based transformational approach is best captured in the changed lives of the sponsored children under the programme, particularly the lives of former sponsored children like Ornanong and Supat.

For Richard Supat, being a sponsored child, enabled him to continue with, and eventually finished his formal education, an accomplishment given his family's dire financial situation. Supat graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and went on to obtain a Masters of Business Administration from the De La Salle Professional Schools, Inc., one of the leading universities in the Philippines. Today he heads the Human Resource Division of a Filipino services company.

To highlight the tangible and positive changes that the World Vision Child Sponsorship Programme have made to the lives of thousands of impoverished children regionally and internationally, World Vision Malaysia invited Ornanong and Supat to speak at its? This is My World Vision? campaign it launched today.

"This is My World Vision" is a Campaign aimed at bridging global communities by highlighting humanity′s shared aspirations, shared dreams, and shared future. It seeks to bring home the message that, as global citizens, we each have the power to change lives for the better for our fellow beings regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, cultural difference and status.

Through the Campaign, World Vision Malaysia challenges Malaysians from all walks of life to step up and be counted; to the awareness that our lives are interconnected regardless where we may be and that, in lending others a helping hand, we are also building a better future for ourselves.

The "This is My World Vision" Campaign focuses on some of the basic issues affecting children in the poor communities -- education, healthcare, lack of clean water & nutritious food and economic development. It provides Malaysians with a behind-the-scene look into how child sponsorship works.

The Campaign also seeks to highlight the fact that it is not the amount that matters but the desire for change and the willingness to act on it that will bring about lasting transformation.

"At World Vision, we believe that every being, every child is precious and, if given the right tools, they can attain the fullness of life as is their fundamental right. Malaysians have done much to give thousands of children, their families and communities the hand up. This Campaign is our way of demonstrating to our supporters and sponsors, that their trust in us has bore and is bearing fruit," said Liew Tong Ngan, CEO of World Vision Malaysia.