Why sponsor?
Whether you are going to sponsor by class, by year or as an entire school group, sponsoring a child is rewarding and beneficial for everyone. It costs less than 50p a day to sponsor a child, but it is a gift that offers them, their family and community the opportunity for a more secure future - one that otherwise might be out of reach.
Your group will receive messages from the child you sponsor as well as regular updates about the project in which they are enrolled, helping you to learn about the life and culture of communities in another country. Most importantly, your sponsorship will make a real difference to children's lives helping them gain access to basic necessities like clean water, healthcare or the love of a family.
Request further information about sponsoring a child
What is child sponsorship?
Every sponsored child is enrolled in a project and help is given through these projects, bringing benefits and assistance to the child, their family and the entire community, reaching out to far more children than those who are sponsored at any one time.
Depending on the needs of the community, project activities vary and may include healthcare, education or skills training, providing loans and training to help parents start small businesses to lift their families out of poverty or working to develop foster care schemes to ensure that every child grows up in a loving family-type environment.
How will sponsorship work for your group?
When EveryChild receives your first month's sponsorship payment (a minimum of £ 15), we will assign a child to your group. You will receive an Information Pack, which contains a photo of the child you sponsor, as well as details about your sponsorship.
The Information Pack also has clear and detailed information about the child, where they live, their family life and the project they are enrolled in. Your group can read about his or her hobbies and interests, which children find very interesting – many enjoy drawing comparisons with their own lives.
The contents of your Information Pack could make a great basis for a classroom or hall display. Children can gradually add to this with their own hand-drawn maps, flags, drawings or information they have researched about the country the child they sponsor lives in. Letters or drawings from your sponsored child are also excellent to add to displays.
What about correspondence?
Your school or class will receive a photo and up to two messages a year from the child you sponsor - these could be short letters or drawings. You may want to write back - the children love to receive news from their sponsors.
The regional office in the country where your sponsored child lives will also send you a project report and a regional newsletter once a year. Most importantly you will receive the unspoken thanks and sense of achievement that child sponsorship can bring.
As a group you may write to the child through the field office. The field staff will translate your letters and the child's replies if necessary. To avoid confusion and to minimise the translation expense, only one letter should be sent at a time. It is important you decide who your main point of contact will be as each letter should be signed by the same person. Alternatively you could always use the name of your school.
What should you write about?
Just because one person writes the letter, it certainly doesn't mean that everyone can't have their say! Have a group discussion and find out what things you would you like to learn about the child you sponsor. For example:
- Do they attend school?
- What are their classes like?
- Do they have any brothers or sisters?
Tell the child about your group, your town, or family but be sensitive not to talk about material things. Always avoid writing about material possessions and other topics that emphasise the difference between your situation and the child's.
Members of your group may have questions they would like to ask the sponsored child about school, favourite games and their family and home. These questions will give the child something to write back about. Postcards are a really lovely way of sending short notes to the child you sponsor. They can be used as pictures, which are easy to display.
As your correspondence develops you will have the opportunity to find out more about the child, their family and the traditions and culture of the country in which they live.
Can you choose to sponsor a child in a particular area?
In order to select the children in greatest need, we would prefer it if you left the decision to us. However, if your group feels strongly about a particular region - maybe it is part of a current project or topic - please see our Child Sponsorship page for the areas in which EveryChild has sponsorship programmes. You may also choose to sponsor a boy or a girl.
Contact us
We hope we've answered your questions, but if not please email our Sponsorship Team or call them on 020 7749 2480 - they will be happy to help.