The Impact of Child Sponsorship
For child sponsors with Food for the Hungry (FH), the question of impact is often top of mind. When you sign up to become a sponsor, how do you know the impact of child sponsorship? How much do FH’s generous supporters really change the lives of those in extreme poverty?
Child sponsorship provides education and health-related support for an individual child. That’s a lot – but it does so much more.
It gives opportunities for the child’s whole family – and even their entire community – to work together toward a brighter future. That future can bring hope and security as a direct result of your help. Food for the Hungry works in many ways. Some of the greatest impact FH achieves is through incorporating the entire community as we work to help them graduate out of poverty. Together.
Meet Mustakin, an 11-year-old FH-sponsored child living in a community in Bangladesh.
Food Security
Mustakin lives with his mother, Seuly, and father, Masum. One of the most basic challenges families like theirs face is the ability to provide daily meals. The families also struggle throughout the year with a lack of adequate nutrition in the meals they do eat.
“Every year for three to four months, men cannot work in this region due to the rainy season,” explains Seuly. This negatively impacts the family in many ways. “In the beginning, it was so difficult for us to afford our meals. For this reason, we often went to bed without having food. We felt very helpless and thought there was no way to overcome this situations,” Seuly says.
Children’s Education
Another concern for Mustakin is his need to go to school. Often, the only way to improve his situation is to have an education. But families like Mustakin’s find it hard to both afford and make time for the needed classes. “It was hard enough for me to manage food for my family. Sending children to school was out of imagination when having food from one day to the next is the priority,” explains Seuly.
“I was frustrated that I could not meet my family’s needs as there was no work during the monsoon season. But I could not afford to pay for my child’s education.” Even when he was able to attend classes, Seuly says, Mustakin was unable to concentrate on his studies. “And most of the time, he was absent from school,” she adds.
How Does Child Sponsorship Help?
Through child sponsorships, Food for the Hungry works with the whole community. This includes conducting meetings, creating savings groups, offering training and providing helpful resources to those who have an interest in improving their living situation.
For example, Seuly chose to attend sewing, health and values lessons. At the end of the training, FH gave her a sewing machine, which helped her earn money so her family could afford nutritious food and pursue educational opportunities.
Their Success
“With the support of a sewing machine and training by FH, I can earn along with my husband,” Seuly says. “With the wages I earn, I meet family expenses.
“I hope other women will see me and bring prosperity to their families by earning along with their husbands. This can provide the necessary support to buy nutritious food and pay for their children’s education. My dream is that every child will go to school.”
It’s important to know that, when you choose to sponsor a child, you aren’t simply helping that child. You are positively impacting a family and their entire community’s work towards a better future. Consider sponsoring a child just like Mustakin. Your support really does make a difference, and the impact will be felt by everyone in the community.
“I wish that the organization may continue such work for the helpless and poor people in the community as it’s been doing now,” says Seuly.
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