Graduation can be one of the most exciting times in a person’s life. You have worked hard in school, and now, the future is full of possibilities. It’s an exciting time for the parents, as well. After years of nurturing your child, you finally get to release them into the world.
The same is true when your sponsored child graduates. Most sponsored children leave the program when their education is finished around the age of 19 or 20, but some continue to be sponsored throughout college. No matter what age they graduate, these young men and women are equipped to follow their dreams because of the help they receive through sponsorship.
After completing an education, your sponsored child might want to be a doctor, a teacher, a pastor, or a number of other professions. One thing we have seen frequently is that many of these children hope to use their education to serve others.
Here are some careers former sponsored children have pursued:
A teacher
Viola was dropped off at our program in Uganda when she was just 4 years old. Her father left the family, and her mother was unable to provide for Viola alone. She hoped that the school would give her child the future she couldn’t. Thankfully, Viola was sponsored and given an excellent education — today, she is a teacher at the same school!
“I came back because I was cared for, loved, and given some of the best facilities,” Viola said. “I wanted to come back and serve more children in the same way I was served.”
Pari has a similar story. She grew up in a poor community in South Asia, and her mother was unable to send her to school. But thanks to a loving sponsor, Pari was given an education and a safe place to study and grow.
After graduation, Pari went to college and became a teacher. She lives with her mother and brother in the village where she grew up. Pari now works with children who have few opportunities for success, much like she did as a child. She is thankful for child sponsorship and thankful for the chance to support her family and help the next generation escape poverty, too.
A COTW team member
Tabita was 3 years old when her mother died and her father remarried. No longer wanted in this new family, Tabita soon found herself living at a children’s home. Growing up in an impoverished country without parents, she would have few options for her future. Thankfully, a loving couple sponsored Tabita, allowing her to dream big dreams and chase them around the globe!
After she graduated, Tabita began working at the children’s home where she grew up. When the opportunity arose for her to be a chaperone — or “auntie” — for World Help’s Children of the World International Children’s Choir, Tabita knew it would be a great way to honor what her sponsors had done for her. Now, Tabita spends most of the year touring with the choir, loving on the children, and sharing about child sponsorship with people around the country.
Sponsorship has given her the chance to help other kids get sponsored.
A church planter
Pamela grew up in a poor community in Uganda. Through sponsorship, she was able to receive an education and was given a safe place to live. She also was able to travel with one of the original Children of the World choirs!
While on tour, Pamela shared the importance of sponsorship with many people. But her passion for sharing didn’t stop there. She was grateful for the chance to hear about God and she wanted to give that opportunity to others, too.
Many years later, Pamela and a group of former sponsored children got together with the goal of impacting their homeland. They planted a church — a church that today is thriving and reaching many people with the message of Christ.
What about your sponsored child?
These are just a few examples of sponsored children who have gone on to follow their passions. No matter where your sponsored child lives, he or she will have the chance to chase any dream — all because of you! When sponsored children graduate, they will possess all the tools needed to succeed.
Not a child sponsor? For just $35 a month, you can invest in a future teacher, a future businessman, a future pastor, or a future doctor. Because of you, the sky will be the limit for one precious child.
Click the link below to learn more about how you can impact a child’s life today.