Investing in girls: what Child Sponsorship made possible for Dola
A former sponsored child from Bangladesh, Dola shares how others believed in her and why she speaks up for other girls.
On International Day of the Girl we had the privilege of interviewing Dola, a former sponsored child from Bangladesh.
We talked about what Child Sponsorship meant to her, her journey to the United Nations and her life in the US, where she is now studying for a double major.
Her story is a reminder that when girls are given the opportunity to learn, lead and speak up, the impact goes far beyond one child.
Here's what she's already achieved:
700+ child marriages
stopped in Bangladesh
UN and White House visit
where she has spoken up for girls
400 people
gave her a standing ovation in the US
Three years away
When Dola was 10, a homework question asked her to describe her earliest memory. Unsure what to write, she asked her mum about hers instead. The answer stopped her in her tracks.
"My mum said that she was married at 13 and remembered managing all the housework... I was scared because I was 10, and it was only three years away from me."
Child marriage was, in Dola's words, "very common and really casual" in her community. But it had never felt so close to home. "I won't get the chance to play with my friends. I will not be in school."
That conversation changed the course of her life.
Seeing a different future
Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with more than half of girls married before the age of 18. Dola is clear that this was never about a lack of love. "My family always wanted to do something for me, but they have really limited options because we belong to a very underprivileged community."
Sponsorship brought new resources and opportunities to Dola and her wider community. She learned about child rights, child marriage and advocacy, and began to see her future as something she could shape rather than something that would happen to her.
After sponsorship, every girl has a chance to choose her own future, and I'm the living example of that.
Dola
Someone who believed in her
We asked Dola what sponsorship meant to her and she doesn't begin with projects or programmes. She talks about trust.
"There was a person thousands of oceans away trusting in me and trusting that I could be different and I could do something for my community."
That belief carried her through some of the hardest moments of her journey. "If she's believing me, then why should I give up?"
Becoming the voice other girls needed
Through a World Vision children's group, Dola discovered advocacy for the first time ("I feel, oh my God, it's so fancy") and went on to receive leadership training. She decided she didn't want other girls to have the same childhood as her mum.
"If others are not courageous to raise their voice, I could be their voice. I could raise their problems at the national and international level."
It wasn't easy. "When you're young, sometimes people take you so lightly." What kept her going was her faith and a clear sense of purpose. "If you have a good belief and good intentions, I always think that God will show you the path. So I just keep going and going."
Slowly, communities started to listen. More girls stayed in school, and more child marriages were prevented. Today, Dola has helped stop more than 700 child marriages, and her work has taken her far beyond her own community.
"Because of World Vision I've had the chance to work with the United Nations, the White House, and international organisations who really want to hear what's happening in our communities."
From sponsored child to sponsorship advocate
Today Dola is studying for a double major in communication and marketing. Living in the US also meant she could finally meet her sponsor in person: the woman whose letters she had read again and again.
Her former sponsor knows what that support can mean on both sides. She says: "When you see a child from an underprivileged community grow and rise, you feel a real sense of value, that you came into their life for a reason and made an impact."
At World Vision USA's Everyone Needs a Believer conference, Dola shared her story with 400 people and received a standing ovation. She told then: "When you sponsor a child, you're not just investing in one life. You're investing in the future of the world, and helping build the next generation of leaders."
Sponsorship never reaches only one child. It brings education, clean water, menstrual health support and training to whole communities, and equips young people to lead change themselves.
When girls are heard, communities grow stronger
Dola is now a member of World Vision UK's Youth Advocacy Network. As a member, she helps decision-makers understand what life is really like for children in communities like hers, and why their voices matter.
Her message to any girl facing a difficult situation right now:
You matter, your life matters, your dream matters. Don't give up on life. You are beautiful, you're strong, you're lovely.
Dola
Sponsor a girl. Help her choose her own future.
Dola's story began with someone she had never met choosing to believe in her. When you sponsor a girl, you help her stay safe, stay in school and choose her own future, and you help strengthen her whole community too.
