In 1997, 12-year-old American girl Caitlin and 14-year-old Zimbabwean Martin became pen friends through their schools. They didn't know at that time how their handwritten letters would change their lives.
It all began as a school task. Everyone in Caitlin's class should choose a pen friend from another country. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but Caitlin chose Zimbabwe because the name sounded cool.
Martin lived with his family in one of Zimbabwe's worst place where they shared one room with another family. And a bed was their only piece of furniture.
When Caitlin's first letters arrived at Martin, they were simple and common. The two kids wrote about their favorite music and what they liked to do. But as Martin wrote more about his life and his letters were written on pieces of rubbish, Caitlin found how badly Martin lived. Without telling her parents, she began sending money with her letters—$ 20 at a time. While the money was not much to Caitlin, it meant more food for Martin's family and helping him pay his school fees.
It lasted six years from their first exchange of letters to Martin's arrival in the United States. With the help of the money from Caitlin's parents later on, Martin finished his university and got his MBA from Duke University.
Today, Caitlin and Martin aren't only best friends, but they also share their story in a book calledI Will Always Write Back. They want to tell readers to do something kind for others as well as looking beyond their own lives, which might make their lives change a lot.
