Why Sponsor a Child

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.

How Sponsorship Works

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.

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