How much does it cost to sponsor a child

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).

Sponsor a Child: How to Sponsor a Child

The COVID-19 pandemic affected families all over the world, taking far too many lives, closing schools and straining social systems. For the most vulnerable children, it was a crisis on top of a crisis.

Children are malnourished in many countries around the world, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Ethiopia and Somalia and South Sudan. In Syria, Iraq and Jordan, children have been driven by war into tent settlements, where without proper winter clothing, boots and blankets, they struggle to survive the cold.

For all of them, the clock is ticking.

Donate and Support

When children are suffering halfway around the world, it’s hard to know how to help. Do you donate to an organization like UNICEF, which seeks to solve the problems all children face, or do you look for a charity that allows you to sponsor one specific child?

Child sponsorship organizations take a different approach

Some child sponsorship programs allow donors to make monthly funding commitments to support individual children, with whom they may correspond and even visit to see the impact of their support. For people who want to know they've made a contribution toward improving the life of one particular child, the idea of child sponsorship can be quite compelling.

UNICEF launched the first-ever Oral Cholera Vaccination campaign in Yemen, where conflict, a deteriorating economic situation and little to no access to safe drinking water and sanitation sparked the world’s largest cholera outbreak. Thanks to a UNICEF immunization, this 6-year-old girl is safe. © UNICEF/UN0209184/Bafaqeh

However, although child sponsorship programs have been around since the 1930s, a 2017 national study of 1,000 American charity supporters by Grey Matter Research and Opinions 4 Good, found that only 24 percent of respondents truly understood what it means to sponsor a child.

“Most donors are aware of sponsorship and generally positive toward it, but there is not a lot of real familiarity with how it works,” says Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research. “The interest is there, but so are doubts or concerns.”

What does it mean to sponsor a child?

It depends on the organization.

Though many organizations offer information about specific children who need help and the opportunity to keep in touch with them, that doesn’t necessarily mean that supporters’ monthly donations actually go to the child’s family. Rather, many organizations have found that they can do much more good by pooling sponsor funds in order to attack the problems facing the communities where the children live with long-term, sustainable solutions.

Aia (above) is 7 years old. She loves to learn at UNICEF’s child-friendly Makani Center in the Za’atari refugee camp, in Jordan, where she and other children who fled war in Syria live. “I like to study here. They teach me math, English and Arabic," says her 8-year-old sister, Zana (far right), who believes that going to the Makani Center, which offers learning and social and emotional support, has helped bring up her grades. "I want to become a doctor so I can treat sick people. I love learning.” © UNICEF/UN0263706/Herwig

While many child sponsorship programs now taking this approach offer donors the chance to get to know individual children in the communities where the organizations work, the children supporters correspond with aren’t always the direct recipients of donors’ monthly checks. Rather, some organizations designate the children sponsors get to know as unofficial ambassadors for their communities.

UNICEF offers an alternative to child sponsorship

What’s the best way to sponsor a child? After more than 75 years working to save and protect children around the world, UNICEF has found that the most effective way to help one child in a community is through sustainable solutions designed to help them all.

With a presence in over 190 countries and territories, UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care, immunizations, safe water, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more to communities at scale.

It’s that approach that has allowed UNICEF to address inequity at its root and deliver what all children need to survive and thrive.

Meet Gift. He lives in South Sudan, where 60% of the war-torn nation’s people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. He was hospitalized for severe acute malnutrition for 10 days. Thanks to UNICEF, he made a full recovery. © UNICEF/UN0232159/Njiokiktjien VII Photo

Year after year, UNICEF and partners make a lifesaving difference for millions of children

treating millions of children for severe acute malnutrition
vaccinating millions of children against measles
connecting out-of-school children with early learning, primary and secondary education opportunities
improving access to safe water for drinking, cooking annd personal hygiene
helping families survive crises with cash transfer programs
reaching children traumatized by war with mental health care and psychosocial support
reaching children who live under the threat of landmines and other explosive weapons with prevention and survivor assistance

How much does it cost to become a child sponsor with UNICEF USA?

UNICEF works from the top down, partnering with governments to help shape policies and programs while making connections in communities to put them into action.

That access, combined with the ability to ship supplies anywhere in the world within 72 hours, ensures UNICEF can leverage resources and deliver supplies quickly and efficiently to make donor support really count.

Sita and her sister, Tawaseef, just received winter gear from UNICEF, including the first pair of warm winter boots they've ever owned. The girls, whose family fled the war in Syria, now have the protection they'll need to make it through winter in the Jordan tent settlement they call home. “I like the boots the most!" says Tawaseef, who previously had only sandals to wear. “The scarf is soft," says Sita. "I love it!” © UNICEF/UN0274601/Herwig

That means donors can rest assured knowing that UNICEF will provide children with the best lifesaving supplies and programs money can buy. Some examples of how far UNICEF can make your support go:

$29 = soap to support family health and hygiene: A gift of $29 is enough to provide 100 bars of soap to health centers, where regular handwashing is vital to preventing the spread of infection, or to help ensure children can keep their hands clean while they are at school or visiting UNICEF Child-Friendly Spaces
$51 = Measles vaccines for 50 children: Measles is highly contagious and is a leading cause of death among children; the measles vaccine is one of the most successful public health interventions in human history, but lapses in immunization coverage lead to avoidable outbreaks
$60 = two-month supply of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food: RUTF is a lifesaving treatment for children with severe acute malnutrition; a two-month supply of RUTF packets — which are easy to administer at home and require no refrigeration or mixing with water — is enough to bring a listless child back to good health

Fatoumata of Bougouni, Mali, here with her twin daughters Foune and Wassa, has five children. All of them have received a full course of immunizations thanks to UNICEF. "My five children are very healthy," she says. "It is because of the vaccines." ©UNICEF/UN0198195/Njiokikjtien VII Photo

What's the best way to help children?

The single most effective way you can help UNICEF fight for every child, everywhere, is by becoming a monthly donor.

A small monthly gift can make a huge difference in the lives of so many children by providing steady funding that allows UNICEF to be on the ground before, during and after a crisis, providing the protection, nutrition, health care, safe water and education children need month after month.

After meeting Baby Yasmin and her big sisters in inland Bahia, Brazil, UNICEF and partners got the older girls into school. Now they — and Yasmin — have a chance to break the cycle of illiteracy that consigned their mother and grandmother to a life of poverty. © UNICEF/UN0225944/Libório

Monthly Donors receive:

a dedicated team to answer questions via email or phone
quarterly 8-page newsletter with updates on children UNICEF is helping thanks to generous donors like you
annual statements to make tax time easier
an easy-to-use donor portal that simplifies modifying gift amounts, updating payment methods and making other changes, including the timing of donations with the option to cancel at any point
targeted communications in the form of monthly statements detailing giving to date

Save a child. Become a monthly donor now.

BECOME A MONTHLY SUPPORTER

Top photo: 7-year-old Kambale of Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, sits in his UNICEF-supported classroom, where children are taught to wash hands to prevent the spread of infectious disease.© UNICEF/UN0235943/Nybo

Notes of an emigrant: how much do children cost in Europe

Where is it cheaper to have and support children - in the West or in Russia? Let's calculate

In Europe “Maternity Capital” is paid for the first child, and the more children in the family, the less taxes you need to pay

Russian state fights for population growth: pays maternity capital, benefits to large families, tries to stimulate the birth rate in all possible ways. Success is relative. How are things in Europe? Yekaterinburg journalist Oksana Ponomareva, who left for permanent residence in Belgium, studied the European experience of supporting demography and tells how much it costs to have a child in a developed Western country.

Stamp about the fact that children - the flowers of the future - are already stuck on the teeth. Therefore, I will immediately tell you about how here, in Belgium, these flowers are watered.

Everything starts at birth. For the first child, parents receive a bonus - 1175 euros with kopecks. For all subsequent ones, a little less - 884 euros. Of course, these meager amounts cannot be compared with the impressive Russian maternity capital. But they are handed out not in the form of a certificate that can be spent only for certain purposes, but in the form of real money. Spend wherever you want. By the way, the premium is given not only in case of the birth of a baby, but also in case of adoption or adoption.

This is not the end of the bonuses, but only the beginning. The child will empty the parent's wallet by default. But if there is a replenishment in the Belgian family, then the percentage of tax that you pay on your salary decreases slightly. The more dependent children, the lower this ill-fated percentage. As a rough estimate, four shopkeepers can help parents avoid paying taxes at all.

In addition, a monthly allowance is paid for children. For the first child, this is a little more than 80 euros, for the second - almost two, and for the third - almost three times more. The older the child, the higher the numbers will be again. Single mother? Is the family poor? Disabled child? Everything is taken into account.

And again, my favorite topic: money is given in money. Why this fact touches me is probably because I remember how in my native Yekaterinburg benefits were given out in goods. At absolutely horse, of course, prices. If you don't like it, don't take it, it was something like this. The welfare shop was somewhere in the Old Sorting area, and my mother and I even somehow bought two identical sweaters there - gray in the box, because there was nothing else worthwhile there. There were rumors that in some city in a similar store they were selling, excuse me, a coffin.

However, this is a digression.

Fun fact: for a normal, complete Belgian family, the following rule applies: dad submits an application for benefits, but money is transferred to mom's account. This tradition has been going on since the second half of the last century. At that time, the father was the breadwinner in the families, and the mother usually stayed at home with the kids, was engaged in housekeeping and education. So, dad received his legitimate bonus, or rather, a children's check, at work. The problem was that bad dads very often did not inform the house of this check. Therefore, we decided to change the scheme. So now in this quite developed European country, where the rights of men and women are, of course, equal, the law, as it were, says in a whisper: equality is equality, but it’s better for mothers to know how to manage children’s money.

And now another important question: up to what age are children considered children in Belgium? In other words, how long can you get money for your fool? The answer is this: if he really is an idiot, then only until he is 18 years old. But if a child studies diligently and after the compulsory school program enters, for example, a college or university, then the state continues to sponsor such a “child” until he turns 25.

and annual tuition fees. Let's say not too wealthy students can get themselves a bonus of three thousand euros. And if you consider that studying in Belgium is not at all expensive, then such a bonus will cover the cost of studying. In addition, students are also allowed to earn extra money (within reasonable limits).

On the one hand, it seems to be a beautiful and understandable system. On the other hand, it all looks painfully unusual: in our homeland, by the age of 25, they often already have time to acquire children, and, sometimes, without interrupting their studies. But in these situations, perhaps, the amount of benefits and maternity capital plays the last role. Young mothers are spinning as best they can, spinning and - where can you go! - survive.

Is it profitable to have children in Europe? Of course, as elsewhere, it is unprofitable. But in any case, it's not catastrophic.

read the full article

We form financial literacy among children

Many parents choose not to take their children to the shops because they cannot resist the "Buy it!" demand. Young children very quickly learn the connection between money and the availability of new toys, and the main task of parents is to acquire them.

Financial literacy for children is a necessary step in the upbringing process. In order to instill the concept of making money, its value, saving options, children need to study at home or attend special programs offered by child development centers . Parents should know how to teach their child financial literacy.

When to start financial education of children?

Formation of financial literacy in children should start around school. Children at 4-5 years old do not understand what “expensive” means. Often they do not ask, but demand to buy something for them. Do not scold the baby for this, he just does not understand the value of money yet.

If you allow your child to have his own way, he may begin to manipulate people in the future. This often happens in families where parents are so busy that they pay off their son or daughter with expensive things. Remember, there is nothing more valuable than parental attention. Such children often get their way with the help of tantrums and tears. And here a dilemma arises: on the one hand, a child who demands to confirm your love for him, on the other, a big loss in the wallet. And if the mother does not buy her daughter a new toy, she feels guilty before her.

This leads to the conclusion that sometimes it is necessary to firmly refuse a child. But at the same time, you need to calmly explain why you don’t buy a new car for your son now. And never tell your kid that you don't have money or that you won't spend it on nonsense. It's better to just leave the store as soon as the tears start.

Fundamentals of financial literacy for preschoolers

Preschool children should also be taught financial literacy. It is difficult to explain the value of money to kids 3-4 years old. At this age, they do not understand that there are cheap and expensive toys, they just choose what they want. Wealthy parents, due to their own employment, can pay off with expensive toys, but this forms selfishness. Correct tactics:

not to feel guilty for refusing an expensive whim if it goes beyond the possibilities of the family budget;
offer an alternative;
do not bring the situation in the store to hysterics;
calmly but firmly insist on his own.

From the age of 4-5 you should try to explain to children the value of money. To do this:

you can instruct the little ones to pay in the store in your presence;
play role-playing games related to money;
teach counting using coins as didactic material.

Gradually, you can increase the complexity of classes, for example, give the child so much money that when he buys he was given change, offer to count it.

The ability to quickly count in the mind is one of the conditions for financial literacy. Already at preschool age, you can send your child to mental arithmetic classes , where he will master the skill of fast mental counting. Children who have completed the course will never make a mistake in calculating the change, the cost of the purchase. The program is also designed to achieve a number of other goals, such as improving intellectual and creative abilities, and teaching them to be independent.

Fundamentals of financial literacy for schoolchildren

Financial literacy for schoolchildren is as important as studying. When a child goes to school, he needs to be given money for lunch in the canteen, for travel by public transport. Determine this amount in advance, discuss with the child what the money will be spent on. Give them out once a week so that the baby learns to distribute them. If he fails, do not sponsor him again, otherwise the child will not learn from his mistakes.

Remember that at school age a child can already start earning. It could be handing out flyers, mopping floors, sitting with a friend's little brother. The money that he himself earns belongs only to him. These are the so-called independent means. Parents should be prepared for the fact that a teenager can spend them on anything. You have no right to take away from the child what he has earned on his own.

Why is it so important to teach a child financial literacy?

Financial education of children is an important part of the educational process. There are several reasons for this:

the more a child knows about money in childhood, the less nervous he will be when faced with it in adult life;
the opportunity to live comfortably;
knowing about money, the child will be able to show independence and move away from their parents in the future;
you can give your child a better life than you have.

What should a child know about money?

Raising financial literacy is a guarantee that the child will have a good future. Becoming students, children receive pocket money, with which they must pay for transport trips, breakfasts, lunches, and so on. This circumstance can be used to continue teaching financial literacy. Here is what is useful to do: