When Eyes Could Speak: Jayley Woo Chosen at First Sight

In an impoverished community in Bangladesh. Oporna, a 5-year-old little girl could not stop singing and dancing after an event organised by World Vision.

“I am very happy to be able to choose my own sponsor!” She revealed that she chose her sponsor because she thinks her eyes are very beautiful. Her mother added that she kept requesting to take more photos and videos of her posing together with her sponsor’s photograph.

Her sponsor is none other than celebrity Jayley Woo, a household name in Singapore.

Being in the stressful media and entertainment industry, she went through a period of self-discovery, “I used to always doubt myself whether I was doing anything right. After a while, I just learnt to stop comparing myself with others and focus on being myself. Now, I just do the things that make me feel happy and giving back is something I enjoy and see fulfilment in.”

She first heard about World Vision through her manager in Mediacorp. She had always wanted to help but did not know where to start. When her friend Felicia Chin, who is World Vision Singapore’s ambassador, asked if she would like to be a part of the pilot Chosen initiative, she did not hesitate and jumped at the opportunity.

“It is something that is very empowering and meaningful and I feel honoured to be a part of this. For just $45 per month, I feel like child sponsorship is going to change their lives entirely, not only for my sponsored child but for her family, friends and community as well. I want to encourage people to just go for it and sponsor a child!”

Chosen is World Vision’s new initiative of flipping the script on traditional child sponsorship, by putting the power to choose their sponsor in the hands of the child.

When Jayley opened her Chosen envelope and saw a picture of her sponsored child and a handwritten letter, she exclaimed: “Wow! She likes the colour blue too!”

“This is such a coincidence because I love the colour blue and I feel that fate has drawn us together. It is interesting how something that may seem so insignificant can actually draw hearts together and form a meaningful connection. There is just something so special about Chosen”

Her wish for Oporna is for her to be happy and live life to the fullest. She added: “Life is too short and anything can happen anytime. Surround yourself with the people you love and love them back even harder.”

Oporna lives together with her grandparents, parents and siblings in Wazirpur, an area prone to land erosion and flooding. There is also a prevalence of child marriage and child labour in the community. Oporna dreams of being a doctor when she grows up. Her mother shared: “My husband works as a postman and very often he does not get enough money to go to the doctor or purchase medicine. Oporna told me that she would like to be a doctor, so she can let very poor people get treatment from her without any cost!”

With help from Jayley, Oporna is now one step closer to achieving her dreams and aspirations. That is the power of Chosen.  

Find out more about Chosen or sign up to be #Chosen here.