Does Sponsoring a Child Really Help?

Few opportunities are as profound as the chance to significantly improve the life of a vulnerable child halfway around the globe, but does sponsoring a child really help? Yes! But it has the potential to do more than just improve a child’s life here on earth.

Child sponsorship can make an eternal impact, and you can be part of that.

In 2013, a study conducted by the World Bank found child sponsorship made a statistically significant impact on education and employment. The study surveyed 10,144 formerly sponsored children from six developing countries. It found sponsored children were more likely to complete secondary and post-secondary school, obtain salaried work, and secure professional jobs in adulthood. Siblings of sponsored children also experienced positive impacts, as did some communities touched by child sponsorship programs.

One More Child partners with local churches and ministries around the globe through our community development efforts, short-term mission trips, and Child Sponsorship program. We meet tangible needs by providing access to adequate nutrition, medical care, education, and opportunities to hear the Gospel.

Incredibly, the World Bank study also reported that the connection between a sponsor and their sponsored child positively impacts the growth and development of the child.

While One More Child is committed to making a positive impact through its sponsorship program, it is the relationships our ministry partners and child sponsors build with families and children that open hearts to receive the life-changing truth of the Gospel.

It is through relationship that child sponsorship helps those in need.

Despite recent advancements, Colombia, a nation of stunning coastal beauty, still grapples with poverty and social challenges. In 2021, the World Bank reported more than 39% of its population lives in poverty.

But Colombia does not just face difficulties stemming from its economic situation. Many in the country also struggle – both directly and indirectly – as a result of the recent crisis in Venezuela. (Watch this video to gain a better understanding of the crisis affecting Venezuela and Colombia.)

Give the gift of HOPE to a child in Colombia.

Our partners in Colombia hold a deep love and appreciation for the children in their care children, believing that God has placed them on their path to bless and guide them in the ways of Jesus, as inspired by Luke 2:52 (NIV):

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Here’s a story from a One More Child partner in Colombia who witnessed first-hand and wrote us to share how child sponsorship provides critical support to children in their care.

Recently, the children in One More Child’s Child Sponsorship program in Colombia gathered to write annual letters to their sponsors. It is a cherished time that fills their hearts with gratitude for the support they receive.

Witnessing both sponsored children and teenagers write and receive letters is a heartwarming occasion. Their faces radiated happiness, but much of what changes in a child when they are sponsored happens in their hearts. Sponsorship provides a sense of feeling special, valued, and loved. Even though they may never meet their sponsors in person, for many, sponsorship becomes a beacon of hope for a brighter future.

“I feel so privileged being able to walk alongside these kids. Not only in their physical growth but also spiritual,” says Ingrid, One More Child Ministry partner in Colombia. “Thank you, One More Child for being a tool that God uses to provide nutrition, love, hope, comfort, and grace upon their lives.”

One More Child wholeheartedly encourages every child sponsor to continue sponsoring but also to invest in the meaningful work of building a relationship with their sponsored child.

Our partners want you to know that even though your eyes may not witness all God is accomplishing in Colombia, the lives of children there are forever transformed by sponsorship.

The emotional and spiritual needs of vulnerable children and struggling families must be met as vitally as tangible ones. Child sponsorship has the potential to transform hearts, especially when sponsors build upon what One More Child begins through its sponsorship program.

To really help a sponsored child, take these steps:

1. Become a child sponsor right now, and send your first letter.
2. Become a Child Sponsorship ambassador to multiply your impact.
3. Go on a mission trip to share the hope of Christ with children.

You have the opportunity to not only significantly improve the quality of life of a vulnerable child halfway around the globe but also offer them access to an eternal one through Jesus Christ.

Together, we can reach one more. 

Sources:

World Bank study