10 Reasons to Sponsor a Child

God was a masterful creator. The beauty on this earth is astounding. It is so evident especially in the fall when leaves become brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. I have been trying to focus more on stopping to witness the awesomeness of our world. As my son and I were on a walk the other day, we saw a squirrel preparing for the winter. It was digging a spot to bury something. How amazing that it knows what to do. But none of this is the point of my post.

God created our earth with enough resources to care for all its people. There are enough resources here for everyone to eat, and for everyone to have water. There are enough resources that no one should have to sleep without mosquito nets or go without immunizations or medicines. The fact that all of these things happen is due to an inadequate distribution of our resources.

There are so many suffering people in our world. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own lives and our own problems. Our own joys. It’s easier to forget about the people we cannot see. But they are there. Children are dieing while I write this from diseases due to unclean drinking water or malaria or AIDS or various other causes. It is easy to do nothing when the problem seems too big. One person can’t make a difference….right?

Wrong. I’d like to share ten reasons why sponsoring a child can make a huge difference. Since I recently became a child ambassador for World Vision, I’m going to share why sponsoring a child through World Vision can make a huge difference. But it really doesn’t matter what organization you donate through….it is action rather than inaction that is the key. Child sponsorship basically means that you are developing a relationship across the globe. It means you are spreading hope to those with none. It means telling one child that they are important, they matter. It means giving communities water wells and education and so much more.  So here you go:

10 Reasons to Sponsor A Child Through World Vision:

1. Sponsoring a child puts a face on those staggering statistics which make the problems of our world seem too large. It is too difficult for us to wrap our minds around such large numbers as 33.4 million people with AIDS, or about a billion children living in poverty. What do those numbers even mean? What does that look like? The Blood:Water Mission has a campaign going on right now entitled “Know Someone.” To put a face on these numbers helps us to wrap our minds around the large numbers. Knowing someone’s story makes us feel that we are making a difference. With child sponsorship, you get to know your child through pictures and letters sent across the world. You get to know their story and watch them grow. You really get to see the results of where your money and prayers are going, and the results become more real when you “know someone.”

2. It addresses all areas of need for a child. Sponsoring a child does not merely provide for the physical needs of a child. (Shelter, hunger, clothing, etc.) Since World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization, it focuses also on spiritual, emotional, and mental healing for these children. Letters sent from sponsors give children and their families so much hope. It tells them that someone that does not even know them cares enough to help. What better way to spread God’s love than that? When a person has hope, they are more able to help themselves as well. Often mothers of sponsored children experience just as big of a change in their spiritual and emotional health as their children.

3. Child Sponsorship can help a whole community. Often the biggest need a child has is clean water. Wells cost a lot of money. World Vision pools sponsorship funds in order to build larger things like wells. This benefits the whole community. An acquaintance of mine visited a community served by World Vision where a well was built. The leader of the community told her that before the well was built, 2 to 3 children died from diarrhea per month! (In a community of a couple hundred) Since the well was built, no children in that community had died from diarrhea. What an amazing gift to that community…all because of child sponsorship. It literally saved lives. Of course, child sponsorship doesn’t save lives in every instance…but it always improves them.

4. World Vision is Non-discriminatory. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization, but it does not discriminate based on age, gender, religion, ethnicity, or anything else. They are Christ-centered, but do not force the gospel on anyone. They do not require people to be Christians before being helped.

5. World Vision is trustworthy with the funds you send. 86% of all money sent are spent on the actual programs. 9% go to fundraising, and 5% goes to management. This is a strong rating compared to other charities out there. World Vision works very hard to put as much money to the actual cause as possible.

6. Child Sponsorship pays for so much based on what you spend. Your dollar goes a long way. For only $35 a month (barely over a dollar a day) you help pay for water, food, education, health care, and more. This is all for less than the average cell phone bill. Way less than a lot of people’s cell phone bill. It changes lives.

7. Child Sponsorship helps communities become self-sustainable. The goal of World Vision through child sponsorship is for communities to be able to care for themselves without the aid of any organizations. Staff and community leaders teach people to farm, and give them other skills such as sewing or fishing that people can make a living off of. The goal is for World Vision to leave communities because they are successful on their own. This does happen! If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime. And…future children are born into better circumstances rather than poverty.

8. Through child sponsorship you are acting out the words of the gospel.

Matthew 25:40 (NLT) – “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Proverbs 19:17 (NIV) – He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Mark 9:37 (NLT) – “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf^[a] welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”

9. Child Sponsorship Addresses AIDS/HIV. Some communities where sponsorship is available, HIV/AIDS severely impacts children. In the United States there are about 400 adults for every orphan. In nine African countries, there are only 6 adults for every orphan. (The definition of orphan I am using is a child who has lost one or both parents) 90% of children who have HIV/AIDS got it from their mothers during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. Child sponsorship helps provide these affected communities with education they need (especially for pregnant women) about how the disease is transmitted and how it can be prevented. Support groups are also offered for those carrying the disease.

10. We all only have one life. Do something! We all only live once. Whether we are born in wealthy circumstances, or born in poverty, we all are born, we all live, we all die. Whether or not you believe there is an afterlife, the fact remains that we all only have one life here on earth. (Unless, I guess, you’re Buddhist, but I’m not going to get into a discussion on religion) We have one chance to make things right. We have one chance to redistribute earth’s resources so that everyone can have safe drinking water, or food, or mosquito nets. Do not let yourself think that helping only one child will not make a difference. Imagine yourself being transported to Africa or Asia, or wherever your sponsored child lives. Imagine yourself standing in front of them. Imagine them holding new schoolbooks after they’ve been to school for the first time. Or imagine them with a cup of clean water. Imagine them harvesting crops for the first time, or getting much needed medicines. Imagine a child being able to live with his or her parents for more years due to treatment for AIDS. It made a difference to that child.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m quite passionate about child sponsorship. It works. Please consider if it something for you. I’d love to answer more questions if you have any, or I’d love to talk to anyone more about child sponsorship. There are children waiting right now for sponsors. I am looking for sponsors right now for three children. I have only two weeks left to find them sponsors. Are you interested? Please let me know by commenting on this post.

If you’ve read this far, thank you very much! If I can at least spread some awareness, I’ll be happy.