World Vision Launches New Approach to Child Sponsorship Program Where 'the Kids Choose'
Child sponsorship is a common fundraising effort for Christian nonprofits such as World Vision, Compassion International and Vision Trust.
Often, these organizations will come to churches, concerts or conferences and display a myriad of photos of children who are living in poverty.
Those who are interested in signing up can look at the photos and choose the specific child they want to sponsor, allowing them to put a face and a name to their donation.
Some of these organizations even allow sponsors to exchange monthly letters with their child so they can get to know each other.
World Vision, however, just announced a new approach to child sponsorship.
Through the Chosen campaign, the organization is switching the roles, taking pictures of people willing to sponsor a child and allowing the child to choose his or her sponsor.
“The community gathers for a celebration where the kids choose their sponsors,” the organization said, according to Christianity Today. “Soon thereafter, sponsors will receive a picture of the child holding their photo and a note letting them know about the child and what made the child choose them.”
Since the campaign’s launch, the organization says it has seen an increase in participation as well as “a new level of joy” from participants.
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According to Christianity Today, World Vision is planning on hosting more than a dozen Chosen events across the world in 2019.
These events will take place in eight countries: Kenya, Malawi, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Uganda and Zambia.
Even though the money you donate through the sponsorship will not go directly to the child or the child’s family, your money will be spent on programs that will ultimately benefit the child such as access to health care, clean water and improved hygiene.
Through this pooled effort, World Vision says sponsored children are healthier, doing better in school and growing in their faith.
According to the organization’s financial report, 86 percent of its revenue was spent toward program services that benefit children, families and communities in need. Only 9 percent of the revenue was used for fundraising, and the other 5 percent was used to cover management and general expenses.
In 2018 alone, over 3.5 million were sponsored through World Vision internationally and over 1 million of those children were sponsored by someone in the United States.
World Vision U.S. President Edgar Sandoval told Christianity Today that the Chosen campaign helps accomplish the goal of “empowering people out of poverty” in a new way by empowering children to choose who will sponsor them.
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