Sponsor a Kid Through GFA World
Children all over the world suffer from the effects of poverty; one way to help them is to sponsor a kid. About 333 million children live in extreme poverty, with their family forced to survive on less than $2.15 a day.[1] Kids make up only a third of the global population, but they represent around half of those living below the poverty line.[2] While there has been some progress over the years, as many as 1 billion children are still multidimensionally poor, meaning they lack necessities as basic as clean water and nutrition. The consequences of this are grave. The poorest kids are twice as likely to die in childhood than their wealthier peers.[3] This is not just a problem for undeveloped nations; even in the richest countries, 1 in 7 kids live in poverty. But no matter where they are, children who grow up in impoverished conditions have poor living standards, develop fewer skills for the workforce and tend to earn lower wages as adults.[4] Thus, the vicious cycle of poverty continues and continues.
Poverty reaches all over the globe, but it is especially prevalent in Africa. Over half of the world’s 5.4 million under-five deaths in 2017 occurred in Africa.[5] Around 36 percent of those African children’s deaths were caused by preventable and treatable illnesses like pneumonia, malaria and diarrhea. This problem will only continue to increase. By 2055, the child population in Africa will reach 1 billion, making it the largest child population on any of the seven continents. This growth is truly amazing, but it is not without struggles. Africa will need to add millions more healthcare workers and teachers to keep up with the growing number of kids, which is a difficult task.[6] Further, sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest education exclusion rates. Over one-fifth of kids between ages 6 and 11 are out of school, as are one-third of the children between 12 and 14 and almost 60 percent of those between 15 and 17.[7] Clearly, something must be done.
One of the best ways to help these children is to sponsor a kid in Africa. Researchers conducted a study on the efficacy of child sponsorship using Compassion International’s program.[8] They found that sponsorship significantly increased the total years of schooling and completion rates across all levels of schooling. The impact was especially noticeable for secondary school, which saw an increase of 12 to 18 percent above the baseline. The two African nations observed—Kenya and Uganda—both saw a significant impact of child sponsorship on education. Logically, the increase in schooling was also found to make a positive change in the probability of future salaried employment—up 5.1 to 6.3 percent—and movement into white-collar jobs—an increase of 6.5 to 6.7 percent. Not only that, but there is also some evidence that the program impacts participation in leadership.[9]
Along with Compassion International, GFA World is facilitating a program where people worldwide can sponsor a kid. Our Child Sponsorship Program uses a community development approach, which displays the love of God by providing practical help according to the community’s particular needs. When someone chooses to sponsor a kid in Africa, charity options are endless. Whether it is providing clean water through a well, nutritious food, hygiene training and supplies, medical checkups and medicine or sanitation facilities, GFA works with community leaders to help meet the needs, allowing the kids to focus on learning and growing, opening up future opportunities they never dreamed of before. Vocational training for parents also lifts families out of poverty, making it easier for kids to regularly attend school. For just $35 a month from a sponsor, children have a greater chance at escaping poverty, and their families and communities are being transformed as well.[10]
We have worked with kids and families living in Asia since our program launched in 2004. In that time, GFA has helped many children. In 2021 alone, a significant group of students in GFA’s Child Sponsorship Program graduated from high school and began pursuing brighter futures.[11] Now, you can sponsor a kid from Africa with GFA, too. Our work on that continent started with kids in impoverished areas of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, which is one of the most densely populated African nations. Hundreds of children have already been enrolled, finding help and hope through the program. More will continue to join them and find sponsors throughout the coming years. As we get more established on the African continent, there will be many more opportunities for sponsoring a kid and helping provide education, growth and the ability to escape poverty.[12]
Consider partnering with GFA in this important work. Every aspect of sponsoring a kid—charity, community development, education, healthcare—relies on believers around the world. It does not take much to sponsor a kid. Just a little more than a dollar a day can change their worlds, showing them God’s love and care and providing them the means to a better life through education.
Learn more about how to sponsor a girl[1] “Child Poverty.” UNICEF. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://www.unicef.org/social-policy/child-poverty.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Children in Africa: Key Statistics on Child Survival and Population.” UNICEF. January 9, 2019. https://data.unicef.org/resources/children-in-africa-child-survival-brochure/.
[6] Ibid.
[7] “Education in Africa.” UNESCO. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/education-africa.
[8] Wydick, Bruce; Glewwe, Paul; and Rutledge, Laine. “Does international child sponsorship work? A six-country study of impacts on adult life outcomes.” The University of Chicago Press. April 2013. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/670138.
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Sponsor a Child with GFA World.” GFA World. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild/.
[11] Walker, Ken. “Child sponsorship: Does it lift the young out of poverty?” GFA World. November 18, 2022. https://www.gfa.org/special-report/does-sponsoring-child-really-work/.
[12] “GFA World Expands Ministry to Africa.” GFA World. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/africa/.