Sponsor a Child and Transform a Life
When you sponsor a child through Wide Horizons For Children, you make a profound difference in the life of that child in crisis and their family. You transform their life by helping them overcome the many factors that might have put them at such risk. Factors such as lack of food, poor health, lack of education or training, family trauma, poverty, and being orphaned or abandoned.
We have Child Sponsorship programs in Ethiopia, Guatemala, Burundi and India.
To renew your current sponsorship, click here.
How to Sponsor a Child
1
Pick a Child to Sponsor
You can choose the child you want to sponsor – and you have options that allow you to search by country, gender, and age. Or if you like, we can select one for you.
2
Select a Payment Option
You can pay $38 each month or $456 once a year. It’s your choice! Either way, you’ll be transforming a child’s future!
3
Time to Connect!
We will send you a welcome packet, containing your sponsored child’s photo, personal story and some tips to help you start getting to know your sponsored child and their culture. You can exchange letters, photos and cards with them… deepening your connection every time something is shared.
Ready to sponsor a child?
Meet the Children
When You Sponsor a Child, You Make Their Future Brighter
Our Child Sponsorship programs are truly impactful. We know this because we have seen — and measured — how deeply the lives of sponsored children and their families have been transformed.
Children who were struggling to survive have graduated from University and found great jobs. Families who were struggling to stay together have not only been kept intact, but have also become stable and secure as a result of running their own small business. Mothers have survived childbirth.
We focus on keeping each child’s family intact — our almost 50 years of experience in helping children in crisis have proven time and again that this produces the best possible outcome for such a child.
Then, we tailor the services we offer to match the needs of each child — we have found that one solution doesn’t fit all children. A tailored approach meets each child where they are and gives them the best chance at a brighter future.
And finally, keeping each child in school at the same time as helping their parents set up a stable small business accelerates the family’s path to self-sufficiency.
All of this is possible because of our amazing child sponsors. Are you ready to become one?
Testimonials
In their words…
The Three Stages of Child Sponsorship Programming
Stage 1 — Survival: A child who enters our Child Sponsorship program is in crisis. They — and their family — are in survival mode, barely able to get one meal a day. Those countries where we run Child Sponsorship programs are among the poorest of the poor. Some 97% of the children are in survival mode when we first meet them.
At this stage, we provide food rations or cash stipends to help each child and their family stay alive and start to move beyond this crisis.
Stage 2 — Stability: Once a sponsored child is no longer in crisis, we shift our focus to another aspect of changing their future. Ensuring the child has access to an education, and takes advantage of it. For each sponsored child, being in school is compulsory — such is it’s importance to change a child’s outcome, it’s a condition of remaining in the Child Sponsorship program.
At this stage, we make sure each child has clothing and supplies for school, and that the family has at least two meals a day.
Stage 3 — Security: Recognizing that education takes years to transform the a child’s life, we help their family create and develop a sustainable livelihood while the children are at school. The ability to be self-sustaining, even through a small crisis, delivers security to a family.
At this stage, we help provide all a family needs to set up and run a small business: stipends and grants, and business and financial training.
But don’t take our word for it
Hear their stories
Laxmi and Mayuri.
Child sponsorship gave this mother and daughter the help they needed to secure their family's future.
Sneha.
How education, made possible by sponsorship, changes a child's future.
Sofia.
How her child sponsor took Sofia from living in fear of gang violence to dreaming of becoming a nurse.
Nigist and Meseret.
A child sponsor changed the future for these two sisters.
Ashenafi.
Ashenafi's life — and that of his family — has been transformed by his child sponsor.
Saloni.
How a child sponsor helped Saloni overcome loss and illness, and pursue a graduate degree.
Dawit.
All Dawit needed was a helping hand. And his child sponsor made sure he got one.
Sponsorship FAQs
Q: How often will I hear from my sponsored child?
A: You will hear from your sponsored child two times per year. Your child’s social worker will help prepare an update about your child and their family. Your child will also write a letter and send photos.
Q: Can I send something to my sponsored child?
A: You are welcome to send cards, letters, or photos to your sponsored child at any time. Due to shipping limitations, we are unable to send packages.
Q: Can I visit my sponsored child?
A: If you’re planning a trip to the area where your sponsored child lives, we will do our best to arrange for you to visit them. We cannot guarantee that you’ll be able to meet them in person, as there are many external factors — particularly ones that could impact their and/or your safety — that might prevent this from happening.
Q: How long are children in the child sponsorship program?
A: A child remains in the program until their family is able to provide a safe, stable home environment, become self-sufficient, or the child completes their educational track. We work with every family in our program to create a sustainable, long-term plan for the future. Some children graduate within three to five years, while others take longer.
Q: How long is my child sponsorship commitment?
A: While we hope you’re able to continue to support your sponsored child for as long as they are in our program, sponsoring a child is voluntary and you may choose to end your sponsorship commitment at any time. When your child and the family graduates from the sponsorship program, we will introduce you to another child who needs your help. To cancel or change your sponsorship commitment, email us at sponsorship@whfc.org or call (781) 894-5330.
Q: Does my donation go directly to my sponsored child?
A: Yes, your donation pays directly for the personalized care your sponsored child receives. After a trained social worker has assessed this child, they receive a customized, intensive set of resources and services that help them achieve success as soon as possible.
Q: Are my donations tax-deductible?
A: Yes! Wide Horizons For Children is a tax-exempt nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. We will send you a receipt acknowledging your tax-deductible contributions. For more information or specific questions, email us at sponsorship@whfc.org or call (781) 894-5330.