By Yukti Lamba:
Why should each adult think of ‘sponsoring’ a child? Is it something to do with making the child’s health better? Or is it only for education and to provide a better home? And, before that, what is ‘sponsoring’ really? ‘Sponsoring’ in the literal sense means the act by a person or a firm promising or vouching for another person or thing. One could sponsor a football match or a child’s education!
The whole process of sponsoring a child is different according to different organisations. While some may have actual family homes where the child is educated, nurtured and housed without their parents, others may distribute funds to parents for the child’s educational needs or any health issues. Some organisations have a more individualised approach to help children and their families.
Steps to sponsor a child
Choosing a child for sponsoring is the first step after which the organisation sends the information about the child to the potential sponsor. Once the sponsor accepts the child (after viewing the information about the child’s family, their income, education and other interests), the organisation asks the sponsor to direct money through online payment or post it to the child under the name of the organisation. The organisation then provides information of the various benefits obtained by the sponsored child to the sponsor by communicating letters, monthly reports and even greeting cards, to develop a special bond between the child and the sponsor.
How sponsoring as a concept came into existence
For this, one has to go back to history when Children International (1936), one of the earliest child sponsorship charities, along with Plan USA (1937) and Child Fund (1938) started this concept. This eventually led to its popularity in western societies. India still needs to accept and embrace this concept for making the children of various communities live in better conditions.
Reasons to sponsor a child
This has a simple answer – the exorbitant rate of increasing poverty, violence, torture and abandonment of a child belonging to different regions. With sponsoring, one can help extremely vulnerable children who belong to communities affected by malnutrition, diseases, violence and abuse. Sponsoring helps to a build relationship with the child where you can know about his / her personal growth as well as generate love and hope within both parties. It also brings about lasting impact on the child by various means of addressing not just physical / health needs but also emotional, spiritual and mental health. Sponsoring a child is engaging as it is measurable, personal and relational over time.
It means joining that child on a journey towards becoming the person he or she can be by providing inspiration along the way. Becoming a part of that journey will inspire you too. Thus, if one wants to feel good and make a massive difference in the community, now is the time to give a chance to that child to thrive. This way, we can make a difference in the child’s life as well as his / her perspective.