Frequently Asked Questions

How Child Sponsorship works
What is World Vision Child Sponsorship?
How do a sponsored child and their community benefit?
How do we select which communities to work with?
How do we select the children who will be sponsored?
How do we work with communities?
What is an Area Development Programme (ADP)?
How many children do you support?

Sponsoring a child
How much does sponsorship cost?
Does child sponsorship really help?
How is my money used?
How much of my contribution reaches my sponsored child?
How long will my sponsorship last?
How can I be sure my money gets through to those who need it?
What work do you do in the UK?

Questions for Sponsors
Can I write to the child I sponsor?
Can I send presents?
Will I hear back from my sponsored child?
How often will I receive letters from the child I sponsor?
Does my sponsored child have a sibling I can sponsor?
What happens to the child if I cannot continue sponsoring?
Can I visit my sponsored child?
Why do you need to increase the sponsorship rate?
Other child sponsorship charities have lower rates. They seem to be able to carry out development work; why does World Vision need more?
Further questions?

 What is World Vision Child Sponsorship?

Child Sponsorship is a unique way of giving and a really effective way of helping children living in poverty. It costs £22.80 a month. That’s just 75p a day – less than the price of a daily newspaper or cappuccino. Your money will:

• support vital World Vision projects in your sponsored child’s community and help them gain access to the food, safe water, healthcare and education they so desperately need.
• help that community gain the skills and resources it needs to provide for its people and build for the future.

Of course, this wonderful transformation doesn’t happen overnight. Yet steadily and surely, through the eyes of your sponsored child, you’ll see the positive changes taking place. It’s this window on the developing world that makes World Vision Child Sponsorship such a joyful and fulfilling way to make a difference.

Sponsor a child today and save a childhood

 How do a sponsored child and their community benefit?

When you sponsor a child with World Vision, your support allows us to work with the child’s community on long-term community development projects. Your contribution of £22.80 a month is pooled with that of other sponsors to fund essential development projects that will benefit children, families and communities for generations. If you are able to give more than £22.80, we can use this for other long-term development projects, either in the same community where you sponsor or another community in need.

How do we select which communities to work with?

World Vision teams, working together with National governments and other international NGO's, identify the regions and communities that are most in need of the support that will help them break the cycle of poverty. They then meet with community leaders and the wider community to gain a greater understanding of the challenges and the opportunities that exist. Then an Area Development Programme (ADP) is set up and families put children forward for sponsorship.

How do we select the children who will be sponsored?

In all cases, it is the community members themselves who decide who will become sponsored children and represent their community.

How do we work with communities?

We don’t tell people what to do. World Vision works in partnership with a community, establishing together what work is required, and setting realistic goals for what can be achieved. Whether it’s training people in how to set up and improve their small businesses, or in gaining access to clean safe water, education and healthcare. World Vision aims to work with a community for about 15 years, developing local organisations within the community to continue the work without us. World Vision works closely with the communities, from identifying their priorities to supplying labour and materials. Projects - such as improving access to clean water, healthcare and education- bring about long-term changes, which make the biggest difference to children’s lives. Our projects also empower communities to develop their own advocacy skills, promoting and protecting their individual and community rights.

What is an Area Development Programme (ADP)?

At the heart of World Vision's community development work are our Area Development Programmes (ADPs). These are a comprehensive way to tackle poverty across extensive areas, usually including several communities. Skilled national staff work with local people to plan and implement a programme that will last for up to 15 years. World Vision gives priority to helping communities work together to find ways to improve their futures, and particularly focusing on projects that will improve the lives of children.

How many children do you support?

There are currently around 110,000 people in the UK who are supporting over 120,000 children and their communities, through sponsoring a child with World Vision.

How much does sponsorship cost?

£22.80 a month. That works out as about £5.26 a week, or just 75p a day. Your sponsorship will help sustain projects within communities that benefit children - this might be improving access to clean water, healthcare, education, improving household nutrition and child protection. This kind of support enables a community to build for the future and you get to see how this happens through the eyes of the child you sponsor.

Does child sponsorship really help?

Yes. By combining your support with the skills of local World Vision staff and the determination of the communities to survive and prosper, lives are being transformed.
Read some of their stories.

How is my money used?

The money you give doesn’t go directly to your sponsored child or family. That’s because it’s more effective to use the money on projects that will benefit your sponsored child’s community as a whole, at the same time improving the wellbeing of the child you sponsor.
A small proportion of your sponsorship payment will be used by World Vision to address the underlying reasons for poverty. This may include influencing public opinion in the UK, engaging with governments on foreign aid, trade and other development issues as well as activities aimed at protecting children in developing countries from exploitation.

How much of my contribution reaches my sponsored child?

The money you give doesn't go directly to your sponsored child or family. This is because it's more effective to use the money on projects that will benefit thier community as a whole, at the same time improving the wellbeing of the child you sponsor.
Of your donations, 82.3p in every £1 goes to direct charitable activities, with rest being used to raise more funds and for governance.
Click here to see our annual report.

How long will my sponsorship last?

The simple answer is: it’s up to you. Depending on the age of the child, many people sponsor the same child for over ten years, until they leave school or reach adulthood. If World Vision’s work in the community finishes or the child moves away, you will have the opportunity to build a relationship with another child. However, if at any time you need to stop sponsoring, perhaps because your circumstances have changed, you can do so. Your child will still be included within the community projects until a new sponsor can be found.

How often will I receive letters from the child I sponsor?

The cycle of sending and receiving letters takes approximately three to four months. This allows enough time for the various stages required to pass on your letter.

The cycle includes the following stages:

• Your letter is sent by you to the World Vision office in your sponsored child's country
• It is received by the staff in the relevant field or support office.
• The World Vision Team then translate your letter so it can be read by your child or their family in their local language.
• A World Vision staff member delivers all the letters for the sponsored children to the appropriate village on the next scheduled visit.
• The child sits down and reads your letter!

When they have read your letter...

• Your sponsored child can then respond either by themselves, or with a family member or a World Vision representative.
• The response is taken back to the World Vision office, and if necessary, is translated into English for you.
• You receive a letter from your sponsored child! (You may receive the original letter as well as the translation, but this varies from country to country).
• When you receive the letter, you can write another one in reply, right away!

What work do you do in the UK?

To address the long term causes of poverty World Vision works with every sector of the UK community. This includes educating young people, motivating individuals and community groups to take action, working with our government to improve the quantity and quality of the UK’s aid program and partnering with businesses to tackle global poverty issues.

Can I write to the child I sponsor?

Yes! When you have decided to become a child sponsor, we will send you the details of the address of the World Vision office in the country where the child you sponsor lives. 
If they can, the child you sponsor will often write back or send you drawings. However, because of the distances involved, and the fact that correspondence will need to be translated by the appropriate World Vision office, the cycle of sending and receiving can take some time.
Every year, we will send you a Birthday and Christmas card for you to add a personal message. You then return these to us by post and we send these out to country where your sponsored child lives.
For many people, communicating on a regular basis with their sponsored child is a precious and moving experience. But whether you write or not, you can rest assured that your support is changing your sponsored child’s life.

Can I send presents?

Yes you can! Please only send non-monetary gifts are no bigger than an A5 size envelope. All gifts go through the World Vision office in your child’s country. It is not possible for them to handle large gifts for various reasons:

• the community’s remoteness and distance from the World Vision office
• the possibility that large items may get damaged
• large gifts could, and are likely to, incur customs taxes and duty which are only applied at the point of entry into the country. We cannot allocate any funds to release these items, and the cost of the administration is too great to allow the sponsor to provide the cost of this themselves.

Will I hear back from my sponsored child?

Yes, but we never force any child to write to you if they don't want to. It is very rare that they don't want to reply to you, but it can be a daunting experience for a child to write to their sponsor!
Every year, we will send you a progress report from your sponsored child's ADP, an updated photo for you to keep, and – if they can write – a letter from your sponsored child. Many sponsors find this a very special and moving experience. If they can’t write, your sponsored child's parents or a World Vision field worker will write to you on their behalf and the child will draw a picture for you.

How can I be sure my money gets through to those who need it?

World Vision only work within countries where we have own offices; this way, we ensure that we can account fully for all the money that we receive. We have audited accounts that are publically available at any time. As a charity, we are regulated by the Charities Commission - a legal body which oversees all UK charities and thier activities. We are a not-for-profit organisation, and we know that the continued support we receive is dependant on our efficient use of supporters’ money. Our annual report is available to anyone who requests it. You can read our current annual report here.

Does my sponsored child have a sibling I can sponsor?

Usually one child per family is enrolled in the sponsorship programme. To enrol extra siblings will deny another family the chance to participate, but this does vary from project to project.

What happens to the child if I cannot continue sponsoring?

At any time , if you need to stop sponsoring, perhaps because your circumstances have changed, you can do so. If you are thinking about cancelling your sponsorship, please get in touch with us, as there may be other ways in which you can continue your support. The child you sponsor will still be included within the community projects until a new sponsor can be found.

Can I visit my sponsored child?

Yes you can and we have many sponsors who go out every year and have amazing experiences. Making this happen does require a lot of preparation by everyone involved. We request a minimum of approximately three months notice if you wish to visit your sponsored child. This is to allow our staff here in the UK sufficient time to set up the official procedures with the World Vision office in the country of the visit. Click here for more information about visiting the child you sponsor.

Why do you need to increase the sponsorship rate?

It’s been eight years since we’ve increased the rate to sponsor a child, and a lot changes in eight years.  Even here in the UK it’s hard to remember what things cost eight years ago, prices have moved so much.  But, it’s even harder in most of the developing world.  It’s a combination of factors, including the rising cost of fuel, food and basic materials. In some developing countries, inflation can be up to 20% a year. Coupled with this, the exchange rate is often against us – meaning the British pound doesn’t go as far. Nothing seems to get cheaper, and that means that we either have to cut back on what we do to help sponsored children, or increase the rate to match the increased prices.  In Senegal for example, we’ve had to cut back on rehabilitating classrooms and train fewer primary school teachers. While in Zambia we’ve had to train fewer farmers, meaning that sponsored children aren’t getting the balanced diet they need.  We don’t think that’s right, and we’re sure our sponsors don’t think it’s right either.

Other child sponsorship charities have lower rates. They seem to be able to carry out development work; why does World Vision need more?

We have 60 years experience of working with parents and communities to improve the lives of children, we’ve learnt a lot in that time, and we are very good at it.

We help to change a child’s life by working with the community where they live. Children are often the first to feel the impact of poverty. Being community based means that World Vision’s development experts work with the whole community to address their priorities for improving the lives of their children.

The challenges that communities face keep their children from reaching their full potential. For example, a community that does not have access to clean water will inevitably have children that are unhealthy. Communities without adequate ways for families to generate income, have more children that cannot afford to go to school or eat probably. Communities that do not have adequate access to government services like health care and birth registration are limited in what they can provide for their children and their children’s rights to be recognized.

Our 60 years of experience have taught us that the best solution to poverty, one that will last, is not about giving people handouts or doing the work for them. It is about bringing together people who are committed to work to improve children’s lives and build a better community. World Vision’s development teams implement projects alongside people in the community. Together they advocate to decision makers to uphold peoples’ rights and make policies that will improve the lives of their children.

Building a better community for children takes time. It involves things like building trusting relationships so we can work together, teaching people new skills and providing them with the right tools. It also includes transforming mindsets and looking at the importance of doing things differently so their children can have better futures. Our work within a community usually stretches over 10-15 years. The impact of child-focussed community development is ongoing and along the way children’s health improves, communities become more resilient and families gain hope for their children.

£22.80 per month is what it costs for us to do this, but it works. We know it works, because we have sixty years experience of making it work.

Further questions?

We hope that you can find everything you need on our website, but should you have any questions, please feel free to phone our Supporter Care helpline on 01908 841010, or email us at info@worldvision.org.uk with your questions. We make every effort to respond to email enquiries as quickly as possible. However, due to the high level of correspondence, there may be a delay in our reply.