Sponsor a girl | World Vision UK

Miriam was only 12 years old when her uncle raped her.

Miriam grew up in a small rural village. When she was 12 years old, her mother got sick and had to go to hospital, leaving Miriam and her siblings with their uncle.

One day when Miriam was alone in the house, he raped her.

“So when this man defiled me... my mother called the chief,” says Miriam. “He wasn’t concerned, he said ‘you are pretending and nothing happened there.'"

Miriam and her mother went to the authorities. But, her father threw them both out of the home and they had to beg for food and shelter. Seeing the situation, the local government child officer helped Miriam find a place in a rescue centre run by the government, but supported by World Vision’s sponsorship programme.

“Sponsorship has helped me so much,” says Miriam, “because here we can get clothes. Here we can get uniforms. Here we feel so good because here it feels safe.”

Sponsor a girl

Today, Miriam still lives in the rescue centre and the case against her uncle is proceeding through the courts. She has become a strong advocate for girls and dreams of starting her own human rights advocacy organisation.

Right now, thousands of girls like Miriam are being forced into violent realities like child marriage, child labour, violence and abuse. Every single minute, 23 girls enter child marriage. Will you stand with them?

We urgently need child sponsors to transform girls' lives today. Girls like Miriam.

Ethiopia

Girl 11 years old

Your sponsorship will help change their life and transform their community for good.
For every child you help, four more children benefit too.

£ 30 £ 34 £ 50

Monthly amount £

To achieve lasting change in the child’s community, Child Sponsorship is a minimum monthly donation of £30. Please click here to donate a smaller amount towards our work with children living outside a Sponsorship programme.

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How sponsoring a girl helps

For £30 a month, you will join our incredible community of child sponsors who, like you, are dedicated to giving the most vulnerable girls a brighter future.

Three teenage girls from Nepal sit at a desk in school discussing their work

Sponsor a girl to go to school

With the help of people like you, we work to make sure girls at risk across the world get to go to school so they can help transform their own life, and their communities.

World Vision is working with girls like Neha, now 18, to help girls access education and protect them from harm. We helped Neha escape child marriage and continue her schooling, and now she’s training other girls on their rights and the importance of education.

A young girl from Kenya sits on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

Protect girls from harm and abuse

Every minute, 23 girls are married before reaching adulthood. We work with parents and communities to train, inform and support them to improve girls' rights.

When you sponsor a girl, you're helping us to protect vulnerable girls like Lente, 12, from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, changing today’s lives and the future lives of young girls around the world.

A teenage girl in Nepal smiles to camera with corssed arms

End period poverty

Because of their periods, girls are missing out on a week of school every month. This is due to stigma causing embarrassment, and not being able to afford the resources they need to be comfortable, known as period poverty.

Susma, pictured, remembers being sent home from school because of the stigma around periods. Now, at 18, she’s doing whatever she can to break down the taboo, including visiting schools to teach girls and boys about how to make sanitary pads.

A teenage girl in Ethiopia stands smiling at the camera with her arms crossed

Girls are empowered

We make sure girls have a voice from a young age so they are able to help shape what happens in their community.

Azeb, 18, is a former sponsored child from Ethiopia. She is now a leader of a child parliament that works to promote children’s rights and gender equality in her community. Plus she shares what she learns with her family, classmates and community leaders to increase awareness of child protection issues like FGM and child marriage.

16-year-old sponsored girl in DRC holding a bowl with dough for Cassava bread

Increase family income

Families who can earn their own income are more free and better able to afford to send their daughters to school. We train women in skills such as farming, set up savings groups and help them to start businesses.

Miradi, pictured above, is a 16-year-old from DRC. Thanks to Child Sponsorship, World Vision was able to support her family to set up a business making and selling cassava bread. Her parents use this money to buy essentials and pay for Miradi's school fees.

For £30 per month you can

Help whole communities

We make a plan with community leaders and the children

See change through their eyes

Letters, photos, videos, regular updates, and an online account

Be their only sponsor

You can form a powerful connection that builds confidence, happiness and hope

Celebrate their progress

See a huge and lasting change in the lives of everyone in the community

Sponsor a girl

Help us end violence against girls

Sponsor a girl today

Why sponsor a girl with World Vision?

70 years of experience

We’re an international Christian charity working with all faiths and none

Almost 100 countries

Together we transform the lives of the most vulnerable children

Transforming lives

Our solutions are community led, child focused, bringing hope and transformation

Sponsor a girl

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How sponsoring a girl changes her life

Monika, 18, Bangladesh

Monika's mother and her sister were both forced to marry at a very young age. But the training she received as a sponsored child taught her that every girl has the right to determine her own future - and it inspires the work she does today. Monika is president of the youth forum in her community, and her team has stopped 10 child marriages.

12 year old girl in Malawi smiling with arms crossed

Leon, 12, Malawi

Severe flooding in Malawi has destroyed crops, directly impacting Leon's family's agricultural income. But thanks to child sponsors, her family received four goats, which are helping to generate an additional income through goat rearing. Now, Leon can focus on her education and reach her God given potential.

Girl in Cambodia smiles as she sits at a school desk amongst peers

Vanny, 9, Cambodia

Girls in Cambodia often face obstacles to receiving a quality education, with schools lacking essential educational materials and facilities. Thankfully, sponsoring girls like Vanny ensures that she gets the opportunity to receive an education and build a brighter future.

Indonesian eight-year-old girl and her mother sat on a bench laughing and smiling

Aprilia, 8, Indonesia

Aprilia faces a variety of challenges due to her disability. But child sponsorship has been transformative, ensuring Aprilia's family are empowered to financially support her education at a school for children with disabilities. Alongside this, the letters from her sponsors are inspiring her to keep working hard and overcome obstacles.

Girl in Kenya smiles with her hand against the wall behind her

Nadepe, 7, Kenya

As the youngest child, Nadepe remains behind to look after the home while her siblings go to school. However, child sponsorship is changing her life because now, Nadepe can begin to get an education and experience fullness of life.

FAQs

World Vision has had a Child Sponsorship programme for more than 70 years. We pair donors with a vulnerable child who needs protection and empowerment.

Child Sponsorship brings much-needed change to more than just one child — the benefits you help provide extends to each child's family, their community and other children in need.

This is because World Vision partners, plans and works alongside local community members to help build healthy, sustainable communities for vulnerable children in the world’s hardest places. Learn more about how Child Sponsorship works.
The donation you give doesn't go directly to your sponsored child or family.

For maximum impact and efficiency, your monthly donations are combined with those of other sponsors to ensure consistent support for your sponsored child and their community, as well as other sponsorship communities around the world. This means your donations go much further.
If your circumstances change and you need to stop sponsoring a child, you can do so at any time. 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 continue to benefit from the changes in their community and we will do our best to find a new sponsor for them.
All of World Vision's work begins with listening to communities in need. Community leaders work with us to identify the most vulnerable children and families who will benefit from Child Sponsorship.
We work with national governments and other international agencies to identify the regions and communities that are most in need and where the most vulnerable children live. We then meet with community leaders and the wider community to gain a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist for them and we develop a long-term plan together to break the cycle of poverty. Find out more about how Child Sponsorship works.
As well as the peace of mind you’ll get knowing you are helping a young girl live her best life, your sponsored child will write letters to you, you’ll get photo and video updates on her achievements and create a lasting bond. This goes two ways, and you can also write letters and send presents to your sponsored child.