We have sponsored an African child through the charity Plan International.
We haven't really sponsored a child, of course, since sponsorship is just a money-raising gimmick, but it is a smart gimmick and we are using it to give Verity an appreciation of those who don't have the same feather-downed gilt-edged fully-loaded childhood that she is experiencing.
So, we have sponsored Kaligueta from Burkina Faso. She is four years old, although in the photo of her and her mum, she is up to her mum's shoulder, which would make her mum a hobbit, or Kaligueta a future WNBA player.
No matter. Kaligueta walks a kilometre to get water and food is not plentiful. It is a tough life and the average life expectancy is just 53 years.
We explained this to Verity. She was puzzled that people might not have enough food. Not enough food, not enough money to buy food, we said. Oh, she said, so they have to eat in restaurants?