Today, thousands of children and young people around the world are in situations of social and emotional vulnerability or isolation. Orphans find themselves each year in a home or foster family. In some cases, there are orphans that live on the streets and have to be rescued by non-profit organizations like Village Hope International.
Helping a Child
In other cases, millions of children come from single-parent families with, most often, young mothers struggling to raise their children alone. Other young children simply do not have the chance to have a family environment in addition to their parents. By sharing time voluntarily with one of these children or young people, from a few hours to a few days each month, his or her sponsor can provide him or her with emotional, educational, social and cultural openness or help in building his or her socio-professional integration project. It helps him to grow and build his future serenely. For all these reasons, both local and international sponsorship is a real citizen response.
A Special Relationship
By sponsoring a child or youth, the sponsor establishes a special and mutually enriching relationship with him or her. As a sponsor, you will be able to discover as much about yourselves as what you discover about them, through everything. It's something very enriching and very human! In fact, you can be in a child’s life for years until they reach adulthood.
Open to Anyone
Single or as a couple, with or without children, active or retired, you can be a part of a support group for kids in need. You can become a sponsor, subject to the agreement of your sponsorship teams, and provided you have time to share with a child, teenager or young person. Sponsorship is open to anyone as long as you are willing to devote your time and resources.
The Beginning
Once sponsorship begins, the sponsor and the child or youth meet regularly and at their own pace. Together, with the parents or guardian for minors, they agree on the frequency and schedule of their meetings and freely organize their moments of sharing: walks, sports or manual activities, cultural outings, school help, professional guidance.
Conclusion
Throughout the sponsorship, teams of child care professionals or volunteers are usually present. They accompany this relationship and provide advice and listen to parents, sponsors and children. They also organize festive and fun moments of sharing where sponsors and parents meet. It can be a really fulfilling experience for everyone involved because it has an effective and positive impact on future generations. You can learn more about how to become a sponsor to a child so you can make an informed decision.