Sponsor a Child

A vulnerable child needs you right now.

When a child is hungry, constantly sick from dirty water, missing out on school, exhausted and scared, they can't reach their full potential. And now, the fallout from COVID-19 has pushed desperate families even deeper into poverty. Many are one step away from starvation. Many face child marriage or child labour - just to stay alive.

You can keep a child safe today and help them build a brighter future. When you sponsor a child, you empower them, their family and their community to break free from poverty – for good. Your donation of $54 a month will bring life-changing essentials like nutritious food, clean water, education, protection, healthcare and hope to a child who desperately needs you. You can help a child to do so much more than survive. You can help them break the cycle of poverty and rewrite their future.

Select a child to sponsor and change their life for good.

<br>"I don’t want any other girl to become a child bride."

Anuradha was putting on her school uniform when her mum said, "No school today – wear this new dress." That's how she found out she was getting married.

At 13, her family's poverty forced her into a child marriage. At 14, Anuradha had her first child. She wanted to play and go to school. She didn't know anything about raising children.

Then, Anuradha learned about her rights, including her right to an education. She learned that whatever a boy can achieve, a girl can too. Today Anuradha is working to protect other girls from her pain. She's stopped five child marriages in her village.

Thousands more girls urgently need your help to know their rights and defend them. Please sponsor a girl and change her life for good.

We partner with communities.
We partner, plan and work alongside children, families and local community members to help build healthy, sustainable communities. This ensures the greatest possible impact and allows all children to thrive.

You connect with a child in need.
Each child is matched with only one sponsor. You can build a relationship with your Sponsored Child and your child's community through letters, videos, prayer, updates, encouragement and more.

You'll see your gifts at work ...
Your monthly gift is combined with other donations for maximum impact. Your support funds long-term resources for your Sponsored Child's whole community, like access to clean water and quality education.

... and celebrate the progress!
Your love, prayers, letters and donations result in real, lasting change for your Sponsored Child, their family and their community. Enjoy sharing the journey and celebrating with them along the way.

Child Protection

Keeping children safe from violence and exploitation like child marriage.

We believe every child deserves to be protected from violence, live a full life, and have the chance to become who God created them to be. We work alongside communities to protect children vulnerable to abuse or exploitation like child marriage, child labour and trafficking.

World Vision engages all those who have a responsibility to protect children. Together we are mobilising communities, strengthening families and empowering children with the skills and knowledge to protect themselves.

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Clean Water

Clean water means life.

For children living in poverty, clean water can mean freedom – freedom from waterborne disease and long daily treks to collect water for their family. Clean water and basic sanitation allow children the chance to stay in school and families to support themselves by growing crops to earn an income.

World Vision is the largest non-government provider of safe water in the developing world. We reach one person with clean water every 10 seconds - that's over two million people a year! Our goal is to have clean water and sanitation for everyone, everywhere we work, by 2030.

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Education

Education has the power to transform a child's future.

We believe every child deserves a chance to go to school. Every year, we provide safe learning spaces and help millions of the most vulnerable children get lasting, quality education so they can reach their full potential and contribute to their families and communities.

World Vision is bringing quality education to children in the world's poorest, most dangerous and hard-to-reach places so that they can write their own futures. We're improving basic literacy, numeracy and providing essential life skills.

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Nutritious Food

Every 60 seconds, a hungry child is fed.

Hunger and food security is a critical part of World Vision's ongoing work. Every year, we provide more than nine million people with life-saving food assistance, including five million children. When emergencies strike, we provide immediate, emergency needs, and we stay for the long-term to help communities recover.

We work to provide nutrition and long-term agricultural improvements to increase food security. We work together with families, teaching them how to improve nutrition and dietary diversity, ensuring children grow up healthy and nourished.

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Family Income

Breaking the poverty cycle with economic empowerment.

To end poverty, we have to make sure economic growth is inclusive of all people, so everyone has the chance to earn an income and provide for their family. Together, we are strengthening families' capacity to provide for their children.

Our world-class income-generating programmes lift millions of people out of poverty every year. With a strong and stable income, families not only have better nutrition, healthcare and a chance at education, but they can plan and invest in their futures.

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Healthcare

Empowering families with access to healthcare.

We ensure the most vulnerable have access to healthcare services to help children and their families live long and healthy lives. We're working with communities to bring healthcare services closer; training local volunteers and partnering with local health centres.

World Vision works with communities to improve their health and reduce child deaths. Every day, our health teams are saving lives in hard-to-reach communities around the world. We provide proven, cost-effective health and nutrition interventions to improve the lives of children.

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Emergency Relief

Responding with life-saving speed when disaster strikes.

World Vision works in the hard places, responding with life-saving speed when disaster strikes. Together with partners in the field, we bring immediate disaster relief and supplies; ensuring child protection and safety is the number one priority.

Once initial emergency aid needs are met, we work with the affected communities to support their long-term recovery so people can rebuild their lives. We also work with communities to help them prepare for disasters through our disaster preparedness programmes.

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Advocacy

Giving a voice to the world's most vulnerable.

We believe in the power of a person's voice. Its ability to do the impossible, battle inequality and call for justice. World Vision's advocacy work ensures that community transformation is sustainable and scalable. We want all children, everywhere, to live in safety and dignity.

World Vision advocates at the local, national, regional and global levels. Working alongside communities, our advocacy challenges the policies, systems, structures, practices and attitudes that make it difficult for vulnerable children and their families to experience life in all its fullness.

Learn more

Sponsor a child today and step into a life-changing connection.

One of the best parts is the joy you can share with your sponsored child.

You can personally connect in so many meaningful ways. You’ll receive regular photos so you can watch them grow through the years, and updates so you can see the difference you're making in their life and community.

Your sponsored child will send you letters and drawings. And if you want to, you can write back to them too, by post or online, so you can become a powerful positive force in their lives.

Become a sponsor today.

"My sponsorship, along with yours, can change the world for the better, and in doing so, change our own."

- Lousie, Sponsor from Katikati

“If we had not sponsored this child, I know there would have been no way for them to get an education.”

- Dr Karandeep, Sponsor from Rotorua

“Me just giving my little bit every month seems to make a huge difference to their life.”

- Marty, Sponsor from Auckland.

“I think we all need to lend a hand to our neighbours in the world, as much as we can... we all have a little to share”

- Liz, Sponsor from Timaru.

<br>You can give a child the power to choose you as their sponsor.

Instead of choosing a child to sponsor, you can sign up to be chosen. You send in your photo and empower a child to choose you as their sponsor!

It's fun to find out who chose you and why. "Because you look smart" and "You're a united and cute family" are just some of the sweet reasons that children have shared so far. It's a life-changing first choice you can give a child today.

I want to be Chosen

FAQs

What is Child Sponsorship?
Child Sponsorship changes children's lives by transforming the community where they live. Using your donations, we identify the causes of children's poverty and vulnerability and create development projects to address them. Child sponsorship pairs one sponsor with one child and allows you to connect through letters and photos.

Why sponsor a child?
When you sponsor a child, you build a special relationship that encourages your child with hope for the future. Your donations join forces with other sponsors to lift your child, their community, and other vulnerable children out of poverty for good. Your support helps pursue the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of vulnerable children.

If I sponsor a child where does my money go?
Your money does not go directly to your sponsor child, or their family, but enables World Vision to work with their entire community to have an even bigger impact and make long-term sustainable change for everyone. As a member of this community, your Sponsor Child receives the benefits of this incredible change and their own lives are transformed.

How long will I sponsor my child?
In most cases, it will be throughout their childhood and into their teens. Most children will be in the sponsorship programme until their community has begun to reach most of its goals, and become self-sustainable. As a project comes to a close we will let you know of the achievements in the community so you can celebrate with us.

More Child Sponsorship FAQs

As part of an international partnership working in nearly 100 countries, World Vision New Zealand pursues the highest standards of stewardship and accountability.

In 2021, 84.6% of World Vision New Zealand's total operating expenses were used for international program support that benefited children, families and communities in need. Learn more.

Sponsor a child today

Poverty is robbing children of their lives and futures. But a solution is in your hands. You can change a child's life. And their whole community.