Sponsor a child

You can help a child enjoy life to the full – just as Jesus intended.

Sponsor now

Find out more

How it works

1. Choose a country

Choose a country and we’ll match you with a child to start your sponsorship journey.

2. Build a relationship

Send and receive letters with your sponsor child to let them know they are loved and valued.

3. Change a life

Your generosity makes it possible for a child to experience life to the full – just as Jesus intended it.

Choose a country to sponsor a child today

Your monthly support of $49 will help a child by providing vital support such as quality education, food and nutrition and health. It may also fund projects specific to the needs of the child’s community such as schools or hospitals.

India

Sponsor children in India live in slum areas around the city of Bangalore and their parents may work in hazardous occupations such as in quarries. Sponsorship provides opportunities for schooling, health care and support to parents.

Sponsor a child in India

Uganda

Most sponsor children in Uganda are either orphans living with extended family, have only one parent or come from families living in extreme poverty. Sponsorship helps provide critical needs such as quality education and adequate food and nutrition.

Sponsor a child in Uganda

DR Congo

Many of the sponsor children in DR Congo have been impacted by armed conflict or HIV/AIDS. They may be orphaned or have been forcibly displaced from their homes and living in camps. Your support provides these children with access to education and nutrition.

Sponsor a child in DR Congo

Cambodia

Sponsor children in Cambodia come from the country’s poorest communities where children are vulnerable to abuse, child labour and trafficking. Your sponsorship ensures they receive an education, and that their family and community receives vital training on child safety.

Sponsor a child in Cambodia

Can’t decide?

Child Sponsorship FAQs

General FAQs

What is child sponsorship?

Child Sponsorship is an opportunity for WorldShare supporters to play an ongoing role in the life of a child in need through a monthly donation. Your donation is used to support your child in their education and meet other pressing needs. Your sponsor child will write to you throughout the year and you have an opportunity to write back to them. Your letters let your sponsor child know that they are cared for and encourages them in their studies.

Education provides the foundation necessary for every child to pursue their future goals no matter what those goals might be. Through your support some children attend school for the first time. Your continued support means that they can continue to go to school until they have finished their studies. Our sponsorship programs also address the physical and spiritual needs of the children to ensure a holistic approach to developing their wellbeing.

Will my sponsor child write to me?

Exchanging letters between sponsors and children is a vital aspect of the sponsorship program. Sponsor children write letters twice a year. You can expect to receive a letter from your child around April and October. We also provide an updated photo and profile on your sponsor child in July/August.

Can I write letters to my sponsor child?

You are welcome to write to your child at any time but we only post letters to the field 3 times a year in May, September and December to conserve costs. You receive a template to reply to each letter you receive from your sponsor child, but you may use any stationery or cards you prefer if you include your child’s name and sponsorship ID.

As part of WorldShare’s child protection policy, all correspondence must be sent via the WorldShare office. Sponsors are not permitted to send correspondence directly to their child.

Can I send a gift to my sponsor child?

You can send a small gift such as stickers or small books that fit in a 23×16 size envelope. We do not encourage other gifts such as t-shirts or soccer balls. We also do not accept cash gifts to go to a specific child. These types of gifts often cause perceptions of favouritism and create division within the communities. Children can be ostracised and bullied for receiving gifts.

We do offer sponsors the opportunity to contribute to the sponsorship gift fund, which ensures fairness by providing culturally appropriate gifts for all children in the community at Christmas time.

Is the gospel shared with my sponsor child?

WorldShare partners with Christian organisations which have the gospel at the centre of their ministries. Our partners provide faith-based mentoring, counselling and discipleship for all children in the program. This is done in a culturally sensitive and appropriate way, especially for children whose families come from other faith backgrounds. We welcome children from all faiths and do not require them to be Christian to participate in the program.

How are sponsor children selected?

Our partners are committed to serving the most marginalised in their communities. Families are identified through formal and informal community structures and then assessed prior to starting the program. In seeking to support the most vulnerable, sponsor children may:
– Have lost one or both parents (whether through the parent’s deaths, or abandonment), or be part of a family where poverty is exacerbated through caring for orphans or long-term unemployment.
– Have a disability.
– Be from an indigenous community or minority ethnic group that is comparatively disadvantaged or faces discrimination.
– Be assessed as having experienced or being at risk of abuse, exploitation, trafficking or child labour.

The children in the photos look well-dressed and cared for. Why do they need my help?

Often the children are well-dressed and cared for because of the support you are providing through the sponsorship programs. Some children pick out their best outfits or borrow clothes for their sponsor photo. For other children, their school uniforms and school shoes may be the nicest clothes they own.

Poverty also looks very different in different parts of the world. The slum communities our partners serve in locations like India are side-by-side with big metropolitan cities. They have access to sprawling markets of second-hand clothes and shoes that are often cheaper than the cost of buying food. Our partners in Uganda and Congo primarily serve rural, remote communities with very little access to markets and stores. Cultural preferences may also play a role as sometimes children have shoes but prefer to go barefoot at home because it’s more practical for their lifestyle.

How is the Child Sponsorship Program monitored?

WorldShare works with grassroots organisations that are based in the communities where our children are sponsored. Every sponsorship community has a representative who looks after the children in that community. Our sponsorship partner organisations complete record reconciliation, financial and narrative reports and external audits. WorldShare also conducts field visits to partner organisations and children’s communities.

Child transition and substitution FAQs

How long does my child sponsorship last?

You can participate in the sponsorship program for as long as you would like. You will be offered a new child to sponsor when your child has left the program. Each child has a unique journey through the sponsorship program as they start at different ages and take different paths with their studies.

What happens if my child exits the program?

When your child exits the program, you will be given a profile for a new child to sponsor. If you are unable to continue sponsoring a new child, you may contact WorldShare to cancel your sponsorship.

We try to provide a child of the same gender and from the same country as the child you were previously sponsoring.

When does my sponsor child conclude the sponsorship program?

It is difficult to say exactly when a sponsor child will exit the program. Some of the children in our sponsorship program don’t have access to education until they start the program. They might be as old as 10 before they start year 1. Some school systems also offer students the option to graduate at year 10 or continue to year 12.

Children also sometimes leave the sponsorship program for personal reasons, such as if their family relocates.

What happens to my child when their sponsorship ends?

Your child will continue in their sponsorship program until they have completed their high school education or a vocational training program following year ten. At this point they have been equipped with the foundation they need to pursue other opportunities.

Payment FAQs

How much does it cost to sponsor a child?

Child sponsorship costs $49 a month. Each of our sponsorship programs is unique and based on the specific needs in the child’s community. In general, funds will go towards the children’s education in the form of school fees and school supplies, health care, nutrition, and counselling.

How do I pay my child sponsorship?

We encourage our sponsors to set up automatic credit card or bank account deductions, as they are easy and reliable. You can also pay by cheque or credit card.

What happens to my child if I discontinue my sponsorship?

Your child will remain in the sponsorship program and be assigned a new sponsor.

What should I do if I need to cancel my sponsorship?

You can call our office at 02 9712 8222 or email worldshare@worldshare.org.au

Will I receive a tax receipt for my sponsorship donations?

Yes, sponsors receive an annual tax receipt in July of each year, for convenient inclusion in your tax return.