Take the plunge!
Child sponsorship is:
- a simple and quick procedure
- a very modest expenditure spread over time
- a proven effective action
- an action with very few constraints
Whom to contact?
There are numerous organizations which make it possible for you to become a sponsor. Most of them have a website and you will find links on this page to some of the most reputable. Take a look at their sites and form your own opinion about the pertinence of their proposed projects, the quality of their management, the transparency of their accounts, etc.
Serious organizations willingly provide such information as a gage of their honesty so don't hesitate to find out more about them. They are strictly bound, moreover, to respect to the utmost the rights of the children and their families. The organizations listed on this page appear to me to fulfill these criteria. But I will gladly post here any positive or negative experiences you would like to share. It would be interesting in fact to create a discussion forum on the subject but unfortunately I have not yet found the time… If this little warning frightens you, you should be aware that it is often possible to sponsor a child in your own country and even in your own community - which makes it even easier to verify that your donation is being used efficiently.
Forewarning:
Needless to say, all human endeavors have both a positive and a negative side to them. Humanitarian projects are no exception to this rule and whenever you make a donation to a worthy cause there will always be a crook somewhere ready to pocket your money or to use it for his own personal gain. So make every possible effort to verify that the sums you donate and the gifts you send reach their proper destination. The organization you have chosen represents you on the local level - sometimes on the other side of the world - and it owes you an exact and transparent account of its actions there.
How to proceed?
It usually suffices to fill in a form online on the organization's website. You will be asked to provide details of your bank account and your donation will be paid by automatic bank transfer or by check. Due to the extra costs involved, organizations generally prefer not to receive checks. It is often possible to choose monthly, quarterly or annual payments. An initial payment is sometimes required before the sponsored child's file can be sent to you. Sometimes other methods of payment are available. For details inquire with the organization or check its website.
The file you receive will include a description of your sponsored child's present living conditions as well as a photo of the child.
Can I choose the country?
Normally you can choose the country where you would like to sponsor a child or at least express a preference. Each organization concentrates on one or more geographical zones of its choosing (Africa, Asia, Latin America…) and will provide you with a list of the countries and/or regions where it operates. This is sometimes limited to only three or four but in other cases may include several dozen.
If you plan to correspond with the child by mail and speak only French, it is best to choose Africa, whereas if you know Spanish or English, a country in Latin America or Asia, respectively, would be more appropriate. More often than not no real language barrier exists since your organization's local representatives will usually be able to translate your letters. (Cases have even been reported where translations are successfully made into a third language through two different translators.)
It is also possible to visit your sponsored child and to take advantage of your visit to spend your holidays in the child's country. The poorest neighborhoods are sometimes only a stone's throw from some of the world's most beautiful beaches lined with tourist hotels.
Can I choose the child I want to sponsor?
This is a touchy question, seeing that all children up for sponsorship are in need of help and that the principle of equality must be respected.
Nonetheless you can always choose a boy or a girl and the organization will try to respect the male-female parity. You can also mention an age preference, especially if you foresee that the child might want to correspond with one of your own children.
What is to be thought of the "World Vision" organization?
The world's major sponsorship organization diffuses photos online of some of the children to be sponsored and thus makes it possible for you to see what the child you may want to sponsor looks like.
In my opinion such a policy can be offensive to some people and pose an ethical problem, for the following two reasons:
- it makes it possible to choose a child on the basis of physical appearance.
- it gives you the impression that the child is being treated like an item on display in a shop window.
On the positive side, however, your action immediately takes on a human face and becomes more than just giving out a bank account number and authorizing a bank transfer. This can have a decisive influence on a potential sponsor's motivation and be just what is needed to win him over. But on the other hand, given the fact that World Vision also offers the classical possibility of anonymity, the sponsor-to-be actually has a choice between two different methods. The organization targets thereby a wider range of people and this, after all, is the main objective.
It's important in any case to realize that populations in need of your help really couldn't care less what method is used, provided that it optimizes their chances of obtaining quick and efficient relief.
Finally, as pointed out above, the money you contribute does not go solely to a sponsored child but systematically benefits the community or village as a whole with the construction of new infrastructures (schools, hospitals…) and/or with improvements to housing and the environment (for example, access to drinkable water).
As a conclusion
WHAT OTHERS DO DOES NOT REPLACE WHAT YOU CAN DO. SO DO IT - TODAY!
Now it's up to you!
You now know everything - or almost - about sponsorship, and I have tried to be clear and concise in my explanations. Please do not hesitate to point out any error, imprecision or omission you may have noticed. I apologize to all those associations and organizations involved in the same field which I have failed to mention.
Thanks for taking the time to read this - it's a first step - and if I have convinced even one single person to take action, I have achieved what I set out to do.
To Carla,
my sponsored child in Bolivia,
con mucho cariño…