“What does child sponsorship look like?”
This is a question our staff answers frequently as sponsors try to understand how their involvement is making a difference in the lives of their children. World Help sponsors currently care for children in 23 countries and 150 communities around the world. And because of the vast and varying needs of each country, we adapt our programs to strategically impact every community we work in.
To help our supporters better understand child sponsorship, we’ve defined several categories of development that we offer, depending on the specific needs of communities and their children. These areas of investment are primarily one of the following: children’s homes, schools, and community programs.
Each program, though diverse, offers forms of help necessary for healthy development. Your monthly gift allows your sponsored child to participate in the particular program implemented in his or her community.
Learn more about the three main programs we use to support children:
Children’s Homes
These homes provide children with quality education and ensure that every child’s physical and spiritual needs are met. Caretakers at these facilities provide long-term, around-the-clock care for children in grades ranging from kindergarten to high school. Many of these children are orphans while others have living relatives but have either experienced neglect, abuse, or their families are simply unable to care for them.
Pashi is 10 years old and lives at the Grace Children’s Home in Nepal. Before she came to live here, she faced daily hunger and never dreamed of attending school. But today, she has clothes that fit, nutritious meals, medical attention, and the opportunity to go to school every day—all possible through sponsorship.
Schools
Education transforms impoverished communities from the inside out. In our school programs, sponsorship provides children with opportunities for education and the supplies needed for successful learning. This includes items such as uniforms, books, supplies, and a daily meal. Schools give children around the world the most essential tool for escaping the cycle of poverty.
Though Wilinckson’s father works long days as a builder, he still cannot afford the cost of school fees. Without an education, the future for a Haitian child can be terrifying. But sponsorship provides Wilinckson with funds for a school uniform, textbooks, and an education that will change his future.
Community Programs
These programs are established when educational opportunities are in place but additional support is needed, such as tutoring or mentoring. They supplement the care structure with a vital developmental addition which gives children a greater chance of escaping the vicious cycle of poverty.
These projects most frequently take the form of after-school programs where children receive nutritious food and personal tutoring—all in a nurturing and protected environment. Sponsored children who participate in community programs are also supplied with uniforms, school supplies, and school funds, if necessary, to ensure they receive a quality education.
Every day after school, 7-year-old John, attends a local kid’s club where he receives a warm meal, help with his homework, and the opportunity to learn about the love of God. Sponsorship provides this Filipino boy with nutrition and opportunities foundational to success.
Because World Help believes that every child deserves health on all levels, we are passionate about each one of these programs. When you sponsor a child, you are literally investing in every area of his development—giving help for today and hope for tomorrow.
Learn more about how you can invest in the life of a child today!