Shortly after my hubby and I were married, we decided to sponsor a child. Every month we sent a check and in exchange, we were sent regular status reports, updates, and pictures of a little girl in Peru. We’re now on our third child and it’s been really neat to get to watch them grow. We’ve been doing this for so long that I kind of forgot about it, until recently when a friend became a sponsor and excitedly suggested I encourage others to do the same!

There are many ways to give, but what we like about child sponsorship is that most organizations will allow you to write or even email “your” child which really lends a personal touch, and lets the child know that they are valuable and cared for. This makes the program rewarding for the giver and receiver alike! Many programs provide a variety of services for the child; food, water, school supplies, religious instruction, special programs, even medical and dental care – for as little as $28-$35ish per month! So much for so little.

Here’s a breakdown of a couple of the more popular child sponsorship programs, just to get you thinking:

ChildFund International receives an A- rating at Charity Watch. According to their website,

• Proper nutrition
• Safe water
• A quality education (and a place to play)
• The opportunity for a respectable job in
their community
is all provided for for $28 per month. For $35 a month you can sponsor a child here in the U.S. Childfund’s website is highly interactive and allows you to choose a child based on sex, or country. Be sure to explore their site a bit – there are many ways to give!

The Christian Foundation for Children and Aging looks like a neat organization. You can choose to sponsor a child, youth, aging individual for $30 a month. You can also make one-time donations to their scholarship program or programs targeted to specific needs. CFCA also puts together about 30 trips per year to give sponsors the opportunity to meet the person they are sponsoring. Cool! CFCA receives a rating of A+.

Food for the Hungry is a Christ-centered organization that receives a 5-star rating from Charity Navigator. FH is set up so that individuals/families or churches/communities can give. They have a great variety of programs! For $32 per month, this organization provides for a child’s spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being ( (food, water, medical).

I hope you’ll decide to sponsor a child/individual through one of these programs (or one like them). You can be as involved as little or as much as you are able! This type of giving is suitable for individuals, families, or even groups! It doesn’t matter if you are super busy (some can withdraw the money right out of your account) or if you are looking to really get to know who you are sponsoring (maybe even getting a chance to meet them some day)! If finances are a bit tight, consider getting a group (friends, family, neighbors, Bible study) together to share the cost. Don’t forget that you can also choose between sponsoring a child in a foreign country or right here in the U.S.! You can choose to donate every month, or just make a one-time donation – the choices are almost limitless! I hope you’ll take the time to look through a couple of these sites and see if one of them is right for you!