Child sponsorship

Child sponsorship allows an individual, typically in a developed country, to sponsor, or fund a child in a developing country until the child becomes self sufficient. This could mean financially supporting the education, health or security of the sponsored child, or in some cases all of these. This could also mean contributing more widely to the child's community developing without directly helping an individual child.

History

Save the Children was one of the first to begin a child sponsorship program, in 1932. Children International (started in 1936), Plan USA (started in 1937) and ChildFund (started in 1938) followed suit as the concept grew in popularity.

Two of the largest and most prominent Child Sponsorship organizations today are World Vision (started in 1950, with over 4 million children registered in its sponsorship programs worldwide) and Compassion International (started in 1952, with more than 1 million children enrolled).

World Vision works with impoverished communities, especially children, to restore hope and faith back into their lives. The are a spiritual organization and are "motivated by Jesus." They believe that God is essential in development and help strengthens relationships between volunteers and the community. As of 2007 World Vision 1.6 billion dollar budget with total revenue totaling 2.6 billion. World Vision also spends time advocating to U.S. Government on emergency relief, education, health care, economic development, and promotion of justice.

Child sponsorship process

After choosing a child to sponsor, the charitable organization that manages the sponsorship typically sends information about the child to the sponsor. These organizations direct money to, and manage communication between sponsored children and their sponsors, including translating letters, and in some cases ensuring that the communications are appropriate. Some organizations pay school fees and other educational needs for the sponsored children and hold a weekly club which includes a supplemental meal, educational and health topics, counseling, and sometimes inspirational teaching.

There is a distinct difference in how programs are operated. Some organizations have actual homes where the children (many being orphans or semi-orphans) are housed, clothed, fed, educated, and nurtured, while others hire local staff to distribute funds to parents, which may or may not be specific to sponsors.

How sponsorship funds are used

Some major child sponsorship organizations use the funds given for community development and do not claim any direct benefit to the child. Others use the funds directly for the child and their immediate community or family, others again are somewhere in between, with the child benefiting from a wider community project such as a school or medical centre.

Critics have argued that child sponsorship could alienate the relatively privileged sponsored children from their peers and may perpetuate harmful stereotypes about third-world citizens being helpless. They also claim that child sponsorship causes cultural confusion and unrealistic aspirations on the part of the recipient, and that child sponsorship is expensive to administer. This latter problem has led some charities to offer information about a "typical" child to sponsors rather than one specifically supported by the sponsor.

Organizations

Many organizations run child sponsorship programs all over the world in 3rd world countries, including 35 based in the UK alone. Some of the more notable ones are:

• Abaana
• Action Aid
• Baptist World Aid
• Child In Need Institute (CINI)
• ChildFund International
• Children International
• Compassion International
• Every Child Ministries
• Food for the Hungry
• Gospel for Asia
• International Childcare Trust
• Partners in Aid
• Plan USA (aid organisation)(PLAN International)
• Save the Children
• SOS Children
• World Vision
• Worldwide Faith Missions

External links

• The Rough Guide to a Better World a UK government publication reviewing some types of sponsorship, including arguments for and against.