Child Sponsorship for Kids: An Idea to Understand
There are 1 billion children around the world affected by poverty . Sadly, many of these vulnerable children are hungry and don’t know where their next meal will come from. “They lack necessities as basic as nutrition and clean water.”1 Many of them walk long distances every day to get water for their families, and they don’t always get to go to school. They often can’t afford to go to the doctor when they get sick, either. And most importantly, a lot of these children haven’t heard about Jesus.
Child sponsorship offers a very effective way to help these children.
Child sponsorship allows a person with more than he or she needs to help a child who has less than he or she needs.
It involves sending money every month to a nonprofit organization such as Compassion to help pay for what the child needs. The money gets used for many things including help with schooling, health checkups and vaccinations, extra food and vitamins, clean water and much more.
The person who sends the money becomes the “sponsor” of the child. The sponsor and the child can connect with one another and become friends by writing letters to each other and sharing about what is going on in each other’s lives as the years go on. It’s even possible for the sponsor to take a trip to meet and visit his or her sponsored child.
Child sponsorship is one of the best and most effective ways to help children around the world leave poverty behind. It really can change their circumstances and give them an opportunity to have a fulfilling life.
Child sponsorship ultimately is a friendship between a child living in poverty and someone who is willing to help that child … someone like you. It’s a life-changing experience for each person involved.
How does child sponsorship work?
There are a lot of different child sponsorship organizations and each one is unique. What makes Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program distinct is that it’s child-focused, church-based and Christ-centered.
In each country where Compassion works, Compassion partners with local churches to serve the needs of the children in their communities. This is because local churches are located and involved in the communities. They know the needs of the sponsored children and families in the communities and can tailor the program to best serve the children.
When someone sponsors a child, the local church shares the sponsor’s generosity with the child and makes sure the child is loved and cared for.
This can look like:
- Getting the child enrolled in school, paying school fees or offering additional tutoring or mentoring.
- Determining if the child needs special medical care and helping provide the health care.
- Making sure nutritious food is available during program activities or during emergencies at home.
- Making sure there is access to a clean source of water for the child at home.
- Providing health and hygiene training, including how to properly wash hands before eating or brushing teeth after meals.
- Getting the child involved in recreational activities.
- Introducing the child to Jesus Christ.
Child Sponsorship for Kids: A Program to Benefit From