Child sponsorship transforms lives

All children deserve the chance to fulfil their potential, but some children have multiple barriers holding them back. Like poverty, discrimination or disability.

As a child sponsor, you’re helping a child to tear down those barriers. You give them agency. You’re offering essential tools for independence.

You’re helping a vulnerable child grow into a strong adult – and strong adults create safer families and stronger communities for generations to come.

Born into poverty in a low-caste family in the slums of Kolkata, Sultana’s future was already mapped out: “Home… chores… puberty… marriage.”

Sultana’s life changed when she joined the Pavement Club, an initiative helping children from Kolkata’s slums access education. Child sponsorship enabled her to go to school and her prospects were transformed. Sultana went on to further education and employment and now lives and works independently.

“Child sponsorship through Global Care enabled me to develop myself holistically, to unlock my hidden potential and break free from the taboos of my community,” says Sultana. “I would like to thank the charity for making such a mark on my life.”

No longer a vulnerable child, Sultana is a strong, self-sufficient adult.

I want to sponsor a child

Education really matters

Education is the most effective way of breaking the poverty cycle.

A child who engages with essential education grows into a strong adult with a better job, who is less likely to be exploited and can participate in community life. Their own children will be healthier, safer and stronger, and their communities are enriched.

Child sponsorship with Global Care makes education is a top priority for marginalised children. Because education really matters.

*Vera’s parents died of HIV/AIDs when she was very young. The six siblings were split between relatives and Vera went to her uncle in Kampala, Uganda. He already had a large family, and Vera was accepted onto Global Care’s child sponsorship scheme.

Fourteen years later, Vera was the only one of her siblings to complete secondary education. One sister married in her teens and others dropped out to earn a living as family members could only support them for a limited time. But thanks to child sponsorship, Vera avoided these pressures.

Our Kampala team say: “She attended classes without any disruptions because Global Care paid her school fees, paid for feeding at school and met all her school requirements for all the years.”

I want to give a child an education

Advocating for the most vulnerable

No child should experience discrimination because of their gender, disability or caste. Child sponsorship ensures the most vulnerable children have an advocate.
Someone who can speak up and prevent exploitation. Someone who can speak up and stop abuse. Someone who can speak up so vulnerable children can go to school and learn.

*Cathy’s father made a living selling incense sticks on the buses in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He took Cathy with him. Sales were better when Cathy went out to hustle.

But then Cathy met the team at Morning Star, an informal education centre in the beach slum where she lives. They persuaded her mum that Cathy should be in school, and so she joined Global Care’s child sponsorship programme.

Cathy was nine years old. She was angry and disruptive. She didn’t know how to sit still and learn, and her anxiety was overwhelming. Staff worked hard to reach her, but it was the counsellor who first got through. Someone who listened when Cathy said she hated being used as ‘bait’ on the buses. Someone who persuaded Cathy’s mum to make it stop.

Gradually Cathy began to settle. Two healthy meals a day, consistent care and someone who listened. Someone who spoke up for her. The seeds of her transformation were sown.

I want to give a child an advocate

Better Health Supports A Better Future

A healthy body fuels a growing brain. But for families in poverty, putting food on the table can be nearly impossible. Lack of healthcare means medicine such as key vaccinations are out of reach, let alone the resources to manage long-term illness or disability.

That’s why our child sponsorship partners often include meals, routine medical provision and additional support with healthcare when needed.

A lack of nutrition and vulnerability to illness limits a child’s prospects. But with a good diet, protection from life-threatening childhood illnesses and access to healthcare, vulnerable children don’t just survive, they thrive.

*Gerrard is HIV positive. His father died of AIDS when he was a toddler and his mother, who is also HIV positive, was ostracised by the wider family.

An outcast in the village, Gerrard’s mum brought her son to Kibera, in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Life is tough, They have little money for medical bills, and both suffer frequent illnesses because of their condition.

But Gerrard has joined Spurgeons Academy, a school supported by Global Care. As a sponsored child he has a free uniform, two meals a day and a quality primary education. He also receives help with the cost of medical care and extra feeding, as nutrition is so important in managing HIV.

Gerrard’s mum says: “Spurgeons has always been there for me. My son would be out of school and perhaps dead today if it were not for their support.”

I want to give a child a better chance