Here's ten reasons why you should sponsor a child
Sponsoring a child is a personal and impactful way to fight poverty and transform a child's life in some of the most vulnerable communities around the world.
Whether affected by poverty, natural disasters, or lack of access to education and healthcare, children in these areas face immense challenges. Here are ten reasons why you should sponsor a child with World Vision today.
When you sponsor a child, you may only be linked to one child, but you help many. We pool donations with that of other sponsors for maximum impact, meaning that for every one child you help, four more benefit.
Going after poverty’s symptoms is temporary, so we tackle its causes - by providing help for families with their farms or businesses, or helping them stay safe in the face of natural disasters or conflict.
We provide clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, education and help families be self-sufficient, so they no longer need our help in the future.
At World Vision, we work within a community for at least ten years and we let the community lead the way. We know that when community members lead change, the change lasts, so we start by asking the community what they need and how we can help.
We help communities set up things like savings groups, mothers’ groups or children’s clubs – so that when Child Sponsorship ends or World Vision leaves, the positive changes will last long into the future.
In the Endabash area of Tanzania, many children face daily challenges with food security. Despite the surrounding fields of crops, droughts and unreliable rainfall often lead to crop failure, leaving families struggling to provide enough food.
Sponsorship plays a key role in addressing these challenges. In 2021, World Vision partnered with 10 schools to launch nutrition clubs, teaching children about the importance of a balanced diet, including fruits and vegetables. These clubs help improve children’s nutrition, boosting their health, wellbeing, and school performance, and providing them with a stronger foundation for the future.
We listen to children about their experiences and the things they want for their family and community. Sometimes children are expressing themselves for the very first time, which is particularly important for children whose lives have taken unexpected turns because of war, abuse or natural disasters.
Amina, 9, says, “Today I learnt to express myself. Before I never had the opportunity to tell my story to someone else - even my parents - about my challenges in life and even my future dreams as well. And when I tell the story to other friends, I feel relief.”
Sponsoring a child with World Vision offers you a unique personal insight into another country and culture. You'll receive letters from your sponsored child, written in their local language (and translated for you) as well as photos and videos from the community you're helping.
You’ll be able to see progress on your My Sponsorship account, with videos, photos and news from your sponsored child and their community. You can easily send messages to them on here too.
Sponsors can even travel to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe to meet their sponsored children.
Joane, a long-time UK child sponsor, travelled to Uganda to see her sponsored child: “When donating to charity, one often wonders if the money actually gets through to the people who really need it. I can now confidently say, having seen it with my own eyes, that World Vision work really hard to ensure that the money does get through and not only helps immediately but also on a long-term basis so that when they pull out of a community, the villages have been helped on the road to making sure that their lives are improved for the foreseeable future.”
Sponsoring a child can be a special relationship. A child can gain hope, confidence, and resilience to tackle the challenges life throws up. Tebogo, 19, South Africa said: “My sponsor granted me a chance to become a child, something I would have never experienced given the fact that my parents had abandoned us. I believe that my sponsor will be proud of me, that I am able to give my time and skills to children in my community. I wish to see them to become good and educated people.”
Many of us have fond memories of taking time to write a letter to a friend or loved one, sharing news or highlights from our day or a special occasion. With Child Sponsorship, you can write letters and cards to your sponsored child - and they'll reply to you.
The impact of a letter can be profound for a child, as Samirawit, 17, in Ethiopia shows: “The letters I received from my dearest sponsors and the love they shared with me is still alive in my heart.”
Letter-writing is also a great way to involve your children or grandchildren, allowing them to learn about another country, culture and language. Writing to a child the same age, that they can relate to, will help them understand other children's lives around the world.
At World Vision, we’ve been leading Child Sponsorship for more than 75 years and we work in almost 100 countries. We have a long history of transforming the world from speaking out on the aids crisis to tackling famine in Ethiopia, to helping refugees after the Vietnam War.
We operate in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, wherever children need us and are often the first to respond after an emergency. We always put vulnerable children first, and with your support, we'll give them protection from abuse, safety, food, clean water and a chance at an education.
For £30 a month, you can transform a child's life. You can sponsor a child and be as involved as you'd like to.
All you need to do is sign up, then we’ll send you a welcome pack within two weeks of you sponsoring a child. We’ll also give you login details so you can keep up to date online or via our app. We know circumstances change, so you can be involved for as long as you like.
David says, “My wife and I feel truly blessed that we are able to sponsor a child and it's thanks to World Vision and all the good that you do to make it all happen. It's such an uplifting and positive experience helping a child and community develop, that I would recommend it to everyone. Thank you for this opportunity.”
Charmaine says, “It has been brilliant for us and our young girls in particular, as it has been a real eye-opener for them to learn how our sponsored girl may live compared to our girls’ own lives. They have taken such a wonderful interest in our sponsored child.”
If you haven't found the answer to your question 'why sponsor a child' above, read through our Child Sponsorship FAQs or if you're ready, sponsor a child today.
