3 reasons why sponsorship is the best gift to give to your family

In the communities where ChildFund works, the news that a child has received a sponsor is often celebrated with as much fanfare as Christmas morning. For a child – and sometimes an entire family – sponsorship can be the difference between going hungry or feeling full, drinking dirty water or clean, succeeding at school or falling behind. There’s no doubt it has the potential to be the best gift ever. 

In Katakwi District, Uganda, Rebecca, 6, and her family receive the news that Rebecca has just been sponsored.

What many prospective sponsors don’t consider is the impact that sponsorship can have in their own lives and even for their own families. We’re talking to you, moms and dads struggling to find more meaningful gifts for your kids, couples looking for new traditions to start, and anyone on the hunt for unique ways to give back as a family. Read on for three reasons why sponsorship is the best gift to give to your family this holiday season – or anytime.  

1. To sponsor a child is to give your family the gift of perspective.

Sure, it’s not exactly the kind of thing you can wrap in a box with a bow on top (unless you’re really creative!). But as the saying goes, the best gifts keep on giving. Sponsorship is a commitment to support, nurture and encourage a child over time, and it can be a priority refresh in a world overrun by material consumption, especially during this time of the year. As families get to know their sponsored child through letters and photos, learning about their dreams, interests and daily lives, they begin to see the world through another pair of eyes – and to develop greater appreciation for the positive things in their own lives. 

Longtime ChildFund sponsor Wendy from Oklahoma will never forget the Christmas she decided to become a sponsor. “My kids were 4 and 7 years old and we had just finished opening presents,” she says. “My 4-year-old said, ‘Is that all?’ and I knew we had to get a better perspective of what the world lived like.” 

Since that day, Wendy and her family have sponsored kids through ChildFund for more than 16 years. It has been just as eye-opening as she anticipated. Learning firsthand about the challenges a child faces while living in extreme poverty “breaks her heart,” Wendy says. But she turns heartbreak into concrete action every time, sharing letters, financial gifts and encouragement to help them face the world with greater stability and confidence. “I wish everyone could have the joy of sponsoring a child,” she says. “I love having them in my life.”

Sponsoring a child also has a way of naturally sparking conversations about global poverty and social justice, which can be valuable for families with kids. Many parents choose to sponsor children around their own kids’ ages for exactly that reason. Exchanging letters and photos in old-school “pen pal” fashion and seeing how a child lives in another part of the world can make for some groundbreaking lessons in the power of human connection. It gives children the chance to form a bond that they otherwise would never have made and to learn firsthand that we all have much more in common than we think – a message that is critical to raising charitable, socially conscious kids. Of course, this is every bit as true for the grown-ups involved!

  

Jack, 3, who lives in Virginia, holds up a photo of Eddy, 5 (in blue) and his family, who live in Uganda. Jack’s mom, Alys, sponsors Eddy through ChildFund, so Jack gets to be Eddy’s friend too.

2. Sponsorship allows you to give back as a family – even from afar.

The holidays are a time for families to come together – sometimes across miles or even oceans – to enjoy each other’s company and celebrate all they have to be thankful for. More and more often, families are transforming these gatherings into opportunities to share the love with those outside of their immediate circle. They’re volunteering at food banks, hosting benefit fundraisers for their favorite charities and giving alternative gifts to help those in greatest need. 

Sponsorship is a unique way for people to come together with the goal of growing in kindness as a family – whether you include just your immediate family members or invite your extended family to participate. Different family members can even sponsor different children, then share their experiences.

When Tonette in Arizona made the decision to sponsor Martha, a 7-year-old who lives in Chongwe District, Zambia, she didn’t expect it to have such an immediate impact on her family. But the very next day, her cousin, Nicole, was also inspired to sponsor a child. Now, the two family members get to walk together on their sponsorship journey.   

  

“Although it’s not obvious on the outside, I am privileged,” says Tonette, whose social media post about her sponsored child Martha inspired her cousin to become a sponsor, too. “Sponsorship has given me the gift of sharing my privilege with someone deserving of all the best this world has to offer.”

3. When you sponsor a child as a family, the love multiplies.

It can make a world of difference when even one person decides to sponsor a child. But when the entire family gets involved, the impact is intensified – sometimes across generations.   

It was 1972 when Barbara of Massachusetts, 92, first became a sponsor. “I sponsored a lot of different kids,” she says. But one of them stands out in her memory: Francisco, a little boy from Guatemala. Barbara and her husband traveled to meet him in the mid-‘70s, cementing their bond. Over the years, the family kept in touch with Francisco, and when he was in college, they hosted him in the U.S. for a year so he could learn English.   

“Francisco was about my age,” says Barbara’s son Dan, “so we became great friends – we spent a lot of time together.” Back in Guatemala, Francisco went on to become an English teacher in his hometown. The two remain close friends today.   

  

Dan (left) and Francisco with tomatoes from the garden they grew together during Francisco’s time in the U.S.

Barbara’s example spoke volumes to her six children and to their children, many of whom went on to sponsor kids of their own. “The credit goes to my mother for the inspiration and guidance,” Dan says. “We’re fortunate. She reminded us. It’s really because of her.” 

You could go buy your family more last-minute “stuff” this holiday season. Or you could give a gift with the power to bring them together, all while bringing real joy to a child and family in another part of the world. Choose the child who could change your lives forever and discover the best gift to give to your family – the gift of giving itself.