Why Sponsor a Child?
Maybe no one person can save the world—but you can make a world
of difference for one child.
How is child sponsorship a solution? Because your ongoing
support as a sponsor helps provide the things that every child needs to thrive, but that not every child’s
family can afford on their own. Your gift fills critical gaps between what a child has and what she needs,
so she gets the protection, care, nutrition, clean
water, education and opportunity she deserves.
Best of all, your friendship and encouragement as a sponsor help a child living in one of the world’s
poorest places to believe in his own potential, and inspire him to live it fully, every single day.
Sponsorship is so much more than a monthly charity donation.
It’s a commitment to a child. And it matters.
Who benefits when you sponsor a child?
The sponsored child. (Of course!) We hear again and again from
sponsored children and alumni how just knowing that someone far away believed in them helped them aim higher
than they imagined possible. Just ask Joe Mary, who lives in the Philippines. She says her sponsor inspired her to
dream big, and she certainly has: The first in her family to go to college, she’s now a civil engineer—and
she’s also helping pay her younger sister Jessa’s university tuition. Meanwhile, she’s also looking toward
her next dream: a master’s degree!
You! You get to watch them grow, and they get to feel you there
every step of the way. Meanwhile, just the act of supporting a child emotionally can be a wonderful
opportunity for you. Mrs. Anne
Humes, who sponsored children for over 60 years, found that sponsorship’s
impact goes both ways: “I’m glad to be able to help the little children,” she says. “They’re a
wonder. They keep me awake and very much alive.”
If you want to make a sponsored child feel extra-special, you
can even pay them a visit. The experience of meeting a sponsor face-to-face is one that sticks with a child
for a lifetime.
Other kids in the sponsored child’s community benefit, too.
Sponsorship donations are pooled to help communities change
themselves into places where kids can grow up healthy, educated and safe. As your sponsored child gets
better access to the things he needs to thrive—simple things like clean water, nutritious food, quality
education, and access to healthcare—his friends, family and neighbors do, too. The impact your sponsorship
makes in a community has the potential to last for generations.
The ripple-effects of sponsoring a child are immeasurable.
We’re often asked how many children have benefited from
sponsorship, and we really can't calculate a specific number. Why? Because so often, a child grows up in our
programs and then turns around and gives back to their community. Sponsorship is truly a gift that keeps
giving!
Consider Monica, who grew up sponsored in Ecuador, earned a degree in finance and now manages her
community’s credit union. (By the way, her community itself graduated from ChildFund’s programs several
years ago and continues to thrive.) She has helped countless families so far, and will no doubt help
countless more.
Then there’s Momodou, a former sponsored child from The Gambia. He grew up to become the country’s youngest
elected ward councilor, traveled to the U.S. to study on a Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African
Leaders in 2015 (and visit our Richmond, Virginia headquarters!) and now works to promote human rights in
The Gambia. We don’t know how many children he has helped—or will.
And how about Dr. Chun-Wai Chan, long ago a sponsored child in a
Hong Kong orphanage, who grew up to become a cardiac surgeon, served eight years on ChildFund’s board and
created a foundation to support orphans like himself. How many children do you suppose he’s helped? Every
time one person sponsors one child, almost anything becomes possible.