Child sponsorship is one of the best ways to end child poverty. The sponsorship programs address a child’s immediate physical needs, which builds self-esteem and self-respect. Your contribution goes a long way towards ensuring that they grow up healthy, learn and live happily in a safe environment that allows them to reach their full potential. When you sponsor a child in Ukraine or any part of the world, you do not change the life of one child but an entire community.
How Child Sponsoring Works
Different sponsorship programs work differently depending on the organizations and partners involved. Most programs are child-focused and community-based. For every child you sponsor, about four more experience the benefits as the funds are pooled for their community rather than sending directly to the child’s family. Every community faces unique challenges which need unique solutions. Organizations may partner with churches, governments, and other local institutions to address short-term and long-term needs. Every donation sent to a child’s sponsorship is an investment in children’s lives and futures.
Types of Child Sponsorships
Most sponsorship programs utilize three types of child sponsorships. They include:
- Individual child sponsorships: This is the most popular method of sponsoring a child. It allows you to choose a child you want to sponsor, which helps build a one-on-one relationship with the child while benefiting the surrounding community. This type of sponsorship allows you to exchange messages with the child you sponsored or visit them whenever possible.
- Lifeline sponsorship: This sponsorship allows you to make monthly donations to support a community and receive updates and other information about a single child. However, there is no one-on-one connection or communication with the child. This is a great option for those who wish to remain anonymous or are unable to correspond with a child but wish to participate in sponsorship.
- Program sponsorship: In a program sponsorship, you donate monthly contributions to the available programs in your community or country and allow the organizations to distribute the funds where they’re needed. You don’t connect or get updates about a particular child, but you receive an overall program update. It’s a great option for those who prefer not to get involved in the sponsorship directly but wish to participate.
How to Choose a Child to Sponsor
Choosing a child to sponsor can be a daunting prospect, especially when you consider your sponsorship’s effect on the child and their family. That’s why organizations recommend choosing the child who:
- Has waited for the longest
- Your children pick
- Is mentally or physically challenged
- Has some similarities with your child/ children
- Is an orphan, affected by HIV/Aids, or at higher risk of abuse
How is Sponsoring a Child Helping Communities?
When organizations hold meetings and discuss the problems facing their communities, they also visit and meet families and local leaders to set the goals together. They listen to the issues raised that hinder children from reaching their full potential. Community members nominate vulnerable children for sponsorship programs. Each child can be matched with a sponsor or receive help directly from the organization.
These organizations also partner with churches, governments, and other interested groups to address the most pressing needs of a child in any community, such as clean water, nutritious food, improved sanitation, and better income opportunities for parents. Your contribution is combined with other donations, including grants to invest in long-term solutions and resources for every sponsored child and their communities.