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Support Orphans through Sponsorship
Wanting to sponsor an orphanage? Here’s a better way to support orphans right now.
For a child, there is nothing more devastating than the death of a parent. Research shows that the loss of a primary caregiver is associated with impaired social and academic functioning in childhood and throughout life. And in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of children grappling with the loss of a parent is projected to increase dramatically, especially in the developing world.
Naturally, many people want to give to orphans to help them overcome the challenges they face – and many people assume that the best way to do this is to support or sponsor an orphanage. But giving to orphanages overseas isn’t the act of heroism it might seem to be. Read on to learn more about how you can support orphans in a more effective way (and why it’s more important now than ever).
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Why not sponsor an orphanage?
When ChildFund was founded to support orphans and other children facing hardship in China back in the 1930s, we primarily worked through orphanages – institutions built expressly for children who had lost parents or other caregivers. Since then, we have expanded to 24 different countries all over the world, and we now focus on supporting children within families and communities through local partner organizations.
Why the shift? Although we understand how important it is to support orphans, research shows that an institutional environment is less than ideal for any child’s development. Orphanages can fill a necessary gap in care when a large-scale crisis leads to the death of many parents with children, such as the famine where we were initially working in China. But ultimately, children belong and thrive in families, not institutions. Even when a child does lose their parents, living with relatives or a foster family ensures a much better outcome for them than living in an orphanage. Indeed, this is why ChildFund has devoted entire programs to reuniting children with their families – and why we offer child, including orphan, sponsorship as an alternative way to support orphans.
To complicate matters, when you sponsor an orphanage overseas, there is little way to be sure your support is actually reaching the children. Orphanage scams – in which con artists take advantage of kindhearted donors’ desire to support orphans, embezzling the funds intended for the children – are well-documented throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas. In contrast, nonprofit organizations like ChildFund have extensive systems in place to prevent corruption and processes for whistleblowers to report misconduct anonymously. We are known for our transparency and accountability to our donors.
So although you can’t sponsor an orphanage through ChildFund, you can sponsor an individual child who is facing unimaginable hardship, including the loss of a parent or caregiver. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing too many children to experience just that.
Giving to Orphans During COVID-19
Orphan sponsorship is an option for those wishing to specifically support a child who has lost their parents or other caregivers for any reason. A quick scan of children’s profiles on our website will reveal countless children whose parents have either passed away or have been forced to leave them in the care of grandparents or others so they can find work elsewhere. The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated the financial hardships and loss of life that cause children to be separated from their parents.
Giving to orphans has never been more critical than it is now. When you sponsor a child who has lost one or both parents, you do more than just help provide for their physical needs. Your letters and gifts can support their emotional needs in ways you might not imagine. You’ll have the opportunity to quell their anxieties, encourage their dreams and fuel their potential. If you want to support orphans – or a child facing hardship in any capacity – there’s never been a better way than to become a sponsor.
