Does Child Sponsorship Make a Difference in the Lives – Hope Now

Let's start with a horrific fact. UNICEF reports that 24,000 children under 5 die each day mostly from poverty-related causes. If you were to include children up to age 10, that number would be much higher. Child mortality in the world's poorest countries is a matter of extreme concern - it means one child dies every three seconds because of poverty. But the world isn't just sitting back and doing nothing - child sponsorship through Hope Now means that a lot of children who would otherwise be dead today now have a chance to grow up and make a difference in their communities.

Hope Now - not just about God

Hope Now are not just about spreading the Word and love of Jesus Christ. They offer practical, hands-on solutions in some of the most challenging and difficult circumstances. Every day, missionaries from a wide range of churches are in the field helping to ensure that children get food, clean water, and access to basic medical care and education. They're actively involved in helping small, desperately poor communities rebuild basic infrastructure such as roads, schools and shelters. They welcome everyone, regardless of age, race or religion. They do this because they want to make a difference in people's lives and give a voice to those who have none.

Hope Now work closely with aid organizations to tackle one of the biggest causes of child mortality in developing countries: the spread of HIV and AIDS. Since the AIDS epidemic began, at least 25 million people have died from the illness, and more than 15 million children have lost at least one parent to it. For this analysis, UNICEF uses a term that illustrates the gravity of the situation: "child-headed households," or minors orphaned by AIDS who are raising their siblings. These children lose not only their parents, but are burdened with the responsibility of looking after their brothers and sisters, ruling out any possibility of gaining an education and breaking free of the cycle of poverty. Left alone, they are forced to fend for themselves and, with precious little food, these youngest members of the community are the most likely to lose in the scramble to survive.

These children rely on the help of Hope Now and aid agencies to help them survive the most vulnerable time in their lives. Such ministries and agencies help find care, food and medical help. Many of these children are living with HIV or AIDs themselves, having been infected in the womb. The work that aid agencies and missionaries do is a vital lifeline (literally) for these children.

Sponsorship - making a difference

By sponsoring a child, you are providing the aid agency or ministry with the money to offer vital health care such as HIV treatments and enough food to help them grow physically strong enough to fight infections that may otherwise kill them. Through this system, millions of children in the developing world are alive today. This vital support can make their lives better, giving them that most important of things in life: hope. Hope Now care about each and every one of their charges, and in a situation where it seems that nobody cares, that's a crucial role to play. Through sponsorship and the valiant work of Hope Now, the child mortality rate can be reversed, as long as everyone is prepared to play an active role.

The author is a freelance journalist who supports the work of Hope Now. She writes regularly on issues surrounding children's charities and sponsors a child.