How does sponsoring a child work
Child Sponsorship: Learn How Sponsorship Works
1. What is the child sponsorship program?
Child sponsorship is a program that connects children in need with compassionate sponsors like you! Becoming a sponsor means investing in a child’s life and empowering them to grow up healthy, educated and safe. When you join our sponsorship family, you can be sure you're joining a growing, global community dedicated to doing whatever it takes for children, transforming their lives and the future we share.
When you become a child sponsor, Save the Children does not give your donation directly to the child you sponsor, rather we combine your monthly contribution with the support of other sponsors to help aid projects in their community – creating a “ripple effect” of positive change.
2. How much does it cost to sponsor a child with Save the Children?
Sponsoring a child with Save the Children is just $39 a month.
The most effective way to help children is by combining your contributions with those of other sponsors, rather than giving them directly to the child you sponsor.
Your generous monthly support will go towards helping empower the lives of children and families in your sponsorship community through our innovative programs. Your sponsorship is truly an investment in children’s lives and futures!
3. Is child sponsorship effective?
With an ambitious vision and over a century of leading expertise, Save the Children is one of the oldest and highly regarded charities in the world. We are consistently recognized for our proven program responsibility and fiscal accountability. We earn high ratings from independent services like Charity Navigator and Charity Watch, and we are accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
When you become a Save the Children sponsor, you can be sure you’re joining a growing, global community dedicated to doing whatever it takes for children, empowering their lives and the future we share.
4. Can I write or email my sponsored child?
Yes! Exchanging letters and emails with the child you sponsor helps build a caring connection that deepens the impact of our work.
Writing a letter on behalf of your family, or even having your child/grandchild correspond, is a great way to get your family involved in the sponsorship experience, help them learn more about the world and share in the joy of connecting with others. Once you become a sponsor, you will be able to email your sponsored child through your online account. Your email will be printed, translated and delivered directly to your sponsored child by our country office staff.
Please keep in mind that there may be delays or inability to deliver letters in a timely manner due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We will do everything in our power to deliver your message while keeping staff and children safe.
We’ll also occasionally provide you with colorful greeting cards that you can personalize and send to the child you sponsor in recognition of special occasions, such as his or her birthday. Children love reading your messages, so please be on the lookout for these special mailings.
5.
What types of child sponsorships are available?Save the Children offers 3 types of child sponsorship:
- Individual child sponsorship gives you the unique opportunity to develop a one-on-one relationship with the child who you sponsor, while benefiting children in their community as well. Individual sponsors have the opportunity to exchange messages with their sponsored child via email or postal mail.
- Lifeline sponsorship is where you contribute monthly support to a sponsorship community and receive information and updates about a single child, but there is no one-on-one relationship or ability to communicate with the child. This is a great option if you’re interested in learning how an individual child participates in sponsorship, but you aren’t able to or interested in corresponding with a child.
- Program sponsorship is where you contribute monthly support to our programs in a specific sponsorship country.
Program sponsors receive updates and success stories on our overall results in the country, but have no individual child communication or updates. This is a great option if you’re interested in supporting sponsorship programs, but you aren’t interested in corresponding with a child.
You can become an individual child sponsorship and lifeline sponsorship online. If you are interested in program sponsorship, please contact your Supporter Experience Center team at 1-800-728-3843, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm (EST).
Facts about how child sponsorship works
Change Makers
So, you’re interested in sponsoring a child, but you’re on the fence because you’re not sure how it works — or if it works. Here are some basic facts about how World Vision child sponsorship works and why you won’t regret investing in a child’s life.
When you sponsor a child through World Vision, you join a movement of people in the United States who give up about $1.
30 a day to impact a child for a lifetime. World Vision child sponsorship is Christ-centered, child-focused, and community-based.
World Vision child sponsorship facts
- For every child sponsored, four more experience the benefits because funds are pooled for their community rather than sent directly to the child’s family. This means you can make an even bigger impact.
- Each community faces unique challenges needing unique solutions. We partner with governments, churches, and other local groups to address a community’s short- and long-term needs.
- World Vision child sponsorship programs focus on improving the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of the most vulnerable children.
- Worldwide, our donors support 3.8 million children registered in World Vision sponsorship program communities.
- About 604,000 generous donors in the U.S. sponsor more than 1 million children in dozens of countries.
- In 2021, we used 90% of our total operating expenses for programs that benefit children, families, and communities.
- Our goal: work ourselves out of a job after around 15 years in a community or until development is being driven locally and sustainably.
How does child sponsorship work?
We believe the most effective way to help one child is to strengthen their entire community. Of our staff worldwide, 95% of them work in their home regions. Local World Vision staff start by meeting with families and local leaders to set goals together. We want the community to build a better future.
This journey plays out in three phases.
1. Building trust and laying the groundwork
We listen to community members to understand the issues hindering children from reaching their full potential. Community members nominate vulnerable children for the child sponsorship program. Each child is matched with only one sponsor. This one-to-one connection is a powerful way to share God’s love as you pray for your child, write them letters and emails, and send photos and small packages to encourage them.
2. Building hope and skills
We partner with local churches, governments, and other groups to address their short-term and long-term needs. World Vision sponsorship projects are designed to meet the most pressing needs in a sponsored child’s community, like clean water and improved sanitation, better income opportunities for parents, and improved agricultural production.
Your monthly sponsorship gift is combined with other donations, including grants, to invest in long-term resources for your sponsored child, and their whole family and community, including clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, and education. In 2021, we used 90% of our total operating expenses for programs that benefit children, families, and communities. All projects are regularly measured against these goals and objectives. The point is to make sure that children are healthy, are receiving appropriate education, and receive spiritual nurture.
3. Building confidence for the future
Over time, you will get to watch the impact of your donation on your child, their family, and their entire community, celebrating with them along the way.
Your result is real, lasting change for your sponsored child and those around them. Enjoy sharing the journey and seeing proof — through email correspondence and annual progress reports in their community — that your support is changing lives and allowing your sponsored child to dream about the future.
Equipped with new skills, resources, and hope, the community takes ownership of its own future while World Vision phases out and moves to other vulnerable communities. Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job after about 15 years in a community or until development is being driven locally and sustainably.
How do I sponsor a child?
Here’s how you can sponsor a child:
- Look at the children who are waiting for a sponsor like you right now.
- Sponsor a child whose story, interests, and circumstances resonate with you. You can even choose a child who shares a birthday with you or a family member, or you can sign up to be chosen by a child to be their sponsor.
- Your sponsorship donation is pooled with other sponsors for maximum impact to fund programs that benefit your sponsored child and their community.
- Along the way, you can build a relationship with your sponsored child and their community through letters, photos, videos, prayer, and more. Read these child sponsorship FAQs.
- Sponsors who have the flexibility and resources can even arrange a visit to meet their child. It’s a life-changing experience — and we’ll help you arrange the meet-up.
Sponsoring a child is the most personal, effective way to fight poverty. When you sponsor a child in need, you build a special relationship that encourages your child with hope for the future. It’s also an opportunity to live more generously or model faithful giving for your own children. Everything we do has one aim — the sustained well-being of children. Your support helps pursue the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of vulnerable children.
Sponsoring a child is a personal way to show God’s love to a child in need.
Sponsor A Child
Written by:
Chris Huber
Updated on:
March 7, 2019
Support a Child - Food for Life Global
Sponsoring a child is one of the most beautiful and generous things a person can do. Through your sponsorship, we can give a child hope. We can help change the lives of these children and support their local community.
By sponsoring children, you will help them provide themselves with food, clothing, education, clean water, health care and, above all, the opportunity for a better life.
What does it mean to sponsor a child? nine0008
Sponsoring a child is a great way to help a child in need who hasn't gotten the best start in life. Through your sponsorship, you can reach out to a child who has suffered a lot throughout his young life.
Your money can help change a young person's life by opening opportunities they never thought they would have. When you sponsor a child, you are not just giving him a helping hand, you are also lifting his community.
You are giving them the opportunity to live a better life in which they can support their family and community. nine0003
Why would you sponsor a child?
The benefits a child receives from your sponsorship are endless. You will breathe new life and opportunity into their world, allowing them to have a standard of living that would never have been possible without your support.
There are three main reasons why child sponsorship is the best way to help:
- You can support a child from home money, for most of us it is simply impossible. Our demanding lifestyle at home does not allow us to do such things. nine0003
You can support these poor children, their families and their communities from the comfort of your own home by sponsoring a child. Our professional team at FFL is working hard to do whatever it takes to support this kid. We have the people, resources and experience to do it on your behalf.
- Your money affects not one, but many
Although you are required to sponsor only one child, if you agree to support that child, he begins to worry Positive change effect When you support one child, you help and his family.
A stronger family provides stronger social services to society. nine0003 A child who has been educated can teach his family, his family can teach the community, and as a result, the community rises. Sponsored children are much more likely to complete their education.
Sponsoring a child is not an isolated project, it is part of a larger, multifaceted mission that aims to help many.
- Personal Connection
When you sponsor a child, you're not just throwing money at something, you're making a name for yourself and really looking at poverty on a human level. Many sponsors form deep bonds with their children by keeping in touch, tracking their progress and supporting them along the way. nine0003
Sponsoring a child connects you with a big problem. These are real people fighting in real life.
How does child sponsorship work?We ask that you make a commitment to donate a certain amount each month to sponsor your child.
This is usually done on a quarterly basis, which helps to procure needed materials and cover any education costs. The goal is to provide every child you sponsor with food, housing and education as a minimum. nine0003 Payments are generally made by credit card online, choosing between monthly, quarterly or annual payments.
How long have you sponsored a child?The length of time you decide to sponsor a child is entirely up to you, but we strongly encourage you to commit until they have at least completed their primary school education. Although it is much more profitable to sponsor a child before graduation from high school or university. nine0003
Helping a child complete education is one of the main goals of sponsoring a child. When a child completes their education, it gives that child, their family and community a much brighter future.
Is child sponsorship taxable?Your sponsorship payments may be tax deductible depending on your personal tax position.
Sponsors will receive an annual tax return detailing all donations you made in the previous year. nine0003
Can I send gifts to my sponsor child?Some sponsors like to send gifts to their children from home. Consider only sending small, light items that are easy to send, such as drawings, photographs, letters, stickers, and postcards.
If you would like to send something special, we can arrange for your gift to be delivered to your child. However, it is worth noting that large and lavish gifts can have a negative impact, such as failing to clear customs or causing tension among family members. There is also the possibility that it could be stolen during the shipping process. nine0003
Can I visit my sponsored child?Of course! There is no greater gift than going abroad to spend time with your sponsored child. They will probably be glad that you want to visit. This is also a great chance for you to see where your money is going and the reality of the situation the child is in.
Those who wish to visit their sponsored child must first contact us to discuss details and complete all required paperwork. nine0003
How you can help us nowYou can help us now by choosing to sponsor a child for all of the reasons listed above.
We are always looking for new people to volunteer. This can be an extremely rewarding experience and gives you the opportunity to have a direct impact on the lives of these children and their communities.
If you run your own business or organization, we are always looking for new partnerships that can help make a difference together. If you have a product or service that you think can help us in our mission to improve people's lives, we'd love to hear from you and discuss how we can work together. We are quite specific about the type of business we want to work with. They include:
- All Vegan Food Companies
- Vegan Organizations
- Human Rights Organizations
Make a Donation
Food for Life serves more food for less money than any other food relief organization in the world.
To continue this fantastic work for children in need, we need your donations. All meals are 100% vegan and made the same day. Essentials Food for Life Global's mission is to help those who cannot help themselves by providing clean, healthy and nutritious food. Food is how we choose to support these people, but our mission goes beyond that by helping to lift the spirits of entire communities of people and provide them with opportunities for a better life. nine0003
We want to continue our amazing work, but we need your help to do so.
You can help!
Sponsorship - ACA Russian Language Service Committee
“Sponsorship refers to software tools that help us grow spiritually and know ourselves better through the Twelve Steps.”
Recovery through the ACA Steps brings life changes, but they need a sponsor to work on them, which is one of the tools of the program. Although WCO and RSC do not maintain lists of sponsors, we can make recommendations in the Great Red Book (BRC) that how to find a sponsor.
ACA includes sponsorship as an integral part of the program. There is a chapter in the BPC devoted entirely to this topic (Chapter 11). If there are no meetings in your city, there are phone and internet groups that give members the opportunity to make sponsorship a part of their recovery.
Chapter 11 of the BRC, titled “ACA Sponsorship: Fellow Travelers,” includes guidance on how to conduct a sponsorship workshop (p. 389). There is also booklet about the ACA sponsorship model.
ACA Sponsorship Forms
While we strive to communicate with a sponsor in person, below we provide an overview of the sponsorship experience, including other forms of interaction.
Direct sponsorship
- Travel companions This is the traditional method for ACA. A participant who has a desire to share experience, strength and hope helps the sponsor work through the Twelve Steps and apply them in life, as well as learn the tools of recovery that will help you accept life on its own terms. nine0156
- Temporary sponsorship - cooperation for a short period of time until a permanent sponsor is found.
- Multiple Sponsors Having more than one sponsor to work on different issues. This form of sponsorship is applicable provided that the sponsor does not run from one relationship to another. We do not use this model to avoid intimacy with a sponsor or to get several different opinions, from which we then choose the most pleasant.
nine0156 - Co-sponsors - two people agree to sponsor each other. This model works best for ACA members with long recovery times and program experience.
- Remote sponsors - interaction is carried out in the form of correspondence by regular or e-mail, telephone conversation, using voice messages in cases where it is not possible to communicate in person. This model works well for those who live far away and do not have the opportunity to interact with ACA members in person. ACA members who live in areas where there are no live groups organize meetings and work on the Program online. The main work of the Steps with a remote sponsor takes place in closed chats or by phone. In the same way, not only the Steps, but also the ACA Traditions can be worked out. nine0026
Indirect sponsorship
- ACA meetings are also a form of sponsorship. In groups that sponsor their members, the importance of working through the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, sponsorship and other tools of the Program is emphasized.
As a rule, such groups have a large selection of literature and a list of telephone numbers of members of the Community. The meetings are friendly and the focus is on recovery. nine0156 - Step Study Groups that meet regularly to work together may also serve as an indirect sponsor.
- Service Committees and other service structures should not be used as a substitute for traditional sponsorship, but such associations can exemplify healthy behavior through sponsorship influence.
Who is a sponsor? Do I need a sponsor to work with the ACA program? nine0009
We need a sponsor in order to achieve results in recovery and come out of isolation. A sponsor is a man or woman who regularly attends meetings and works the Twelve Steps of ACA. They overcame many of the consequences of being raised in a dysfunctional family. The sponsor does not give advice, does not lend money, does not act as a psychologist.
A sponsor is a recovering ACA member who shares his or her experience, strength, and clarity as a result of the ACA program. The sponsor may help you walk the Steps or work on other aspects of the Program. We usually choose a sponsor of the same gender as us to avoid romantic misunderstandings. nine0003 When should I get a sponsor?
It is useful for beginners to find a sponsor right away. For those who have joined the Program for a long time, but do not work with a sponsor, we recommend that you do the same so that this experience will help you look at your recovery from a different angle.
How do we find a sponsor?
We attend ACA meetings and listen to those who share their experiences. We can also seek sponsorship by serving, attending conferences and seminars. We find people who work on the Program, attend meetings regularly, and understand the principles of ACA. We ask the potential sponsor what he expects from the sponsor. As we learn what actions we may need to take to recover, we remember how much effort we put into co-dependency and caring for others.
Prior to recovery, some of us spent a huge amount of time in resentment and irritation, sleep deprivation and cleaning up after the person with whom we were in a codependent relationship. We worked day and night to pay our bills. We saved people who were not capable of gratitude by donating our money or time to them. We habitually put others first. Sometimes it drove us to exhaustion. In some cases, the immune system suffered and we got sick. But we did not take into account the time and were ready for any sacrifice. Therefore, when we hear recommendations to attend meetings and work the Twelve Steps, we will understand that recovery requires much less effort than our codependent behavior. nine0003 When we talk to a potential sponsor, we try to feel how compatible we are, and at the same time avoid perfectionism, so as not to look for complete similarities. Don't be afraid of differences. If this person is serious about recovery and helping others, you can ask no more.
In ACA, we attend regular meetings and talk about the Twelve Steps and other topics of recovery, including feelings, boundaries, and our future.
ACA has sponsors who support newcomers in the Twelve Steps. These are friends you can trust to guide the new member through the healing steps of recovery. If you meet a trustworthy person, tell him something about yourself and see how he reacts. Do not open your soul to him immediately. If he handles what he hears, share something else. Look out for those who don't humiliate others or use alcohol or drugs. Such a person can be trusted. Avoid those who make fun of others or pressure you to change your mind. You are an independent person. You have a choice. nine0003 Many of us have had relationships in which we have either dominated or submitted. We thought we weren't good enough for the people around us. In relations with a sponsor, we learn equal relations, learn to trust. We find friendship and intimacy with another person, gain a new experience of mutual love and acceptance.
ACA sponsorship is always free (see "Understanding the Eighth Tradition" in the BPC, p. 528). No one should be rewarded for sponsoring another adult child.
