Member Advice on Sponsoring a Child in the Third World

Introduction I would love to share my experience of sponsoring four wonderful little girls from Kenya, East Africa. I have been sponsoring them for a while now and have been out to visit them all twice. I hope to go for my third visit over Christmas and new year. I sponsor with two different, wonderful organisations and these children are a very big part of my life – I try to stay in touch as much as possible and have made many, many friends through my travels. From my sponsorships I find fulfilment and have travelled widely and had many amazing experiences with these children and in the ... more

I decided to sponsor a child once I could afford it ages ago, when I was still at school. I'd read articles in magazines about how rewarding other people have found sponsoring and I've always wanted to give it a shot. So once I got a full time job (just under 3 years ago) I went to the World Vision website (www.worldvision.org.uk) and signed up to sponsor a child in the third world. ABOUT WORLD VISION Worl Vision is a Christian charity, but helps people irrespective of their beliefs. I am not Christian and have never felt pressured by World Vision - the Christmas cards they produce for people ... more

I’ve been debating with myself for a while about how to write this op. How can I best put across my mixed feelings about child sponsorship? Before I start, I’m going to lay my cards on the table, so you know where I’m heading with this op. I have sponsored a child (with ActionAid) since I was a young child myself. All my family do it, from my younger brother right up to my granny. I’ve also seen first-hand how the money is spent, because for the last few years, I’ve worked for a well-known international charity in Africa and Asia. I’ve met some of the children that you sponsor and seen some of ... more

We have all seen advertisements on the television or in the press about sponsoring a child and for many years, although the idea seemed a good one, I worried about what effect this would have on the economy of a community as a whole, whether it would in fact make some children feel better than others, or the ones not chosen worse off than others. It's a little like in real life really. Give one kiddy a pair of trainers and forget the other one, and somehow the balance of equality is thrown sideways with one child thinking they are better than another, and the other thinking they did something ... more

I sponsor a little girl called Ann, who lives in Kenya. I researched the charity I would select quite throughly, and in the end chose Out of Afrika, as it is a small charity, and the founder responsded to my queries almost instantly via email. It costs £15 a month and for that Ann gets her uniform and other clothing, books, medical care, general care, stationary and extra tuition. I know from contact with the workers out in Kenya that they decide which each child's family needs and directs the money specifically for each child. Ann is an orphan, who lives with her older brother and sister. The ... more