World Vision is taking an innovative approach to child sponsorship – and companies are invited to be part of the new model.

Child sponsorship is a life-changing opportunity to connect with a child living in another country. Although you may never meet, the child will benefit from a monthly gift that supports their basic needs: clean water, healthcare, nutrition, education – whatever they need as planned with the child’s community.

Once a donor-child pairing is made, World Vision sends the donor a welcome packet, letters from the child, yearly photos and updates, and annual progress reports from the child’s community.

Now, with decades of experience, World Vision is introducing a new way to sponsor children in need. The innovative ChosenTM program empowers children to choose their sponsor. The child is given the opportunity to make a decision based on emotional reaction, observation and intuition. That choice results in immediate, life-changing programs for the child, and directly creates a positive, subconscious response inside them. The positive affirmation helps the child trust in themselves to know what they want and need, and prepares them to make better decisions in the future. They gain the confidence to survive and the power to change their own lives and their communities while also enriching the lives of their sponsors.

Before World Vision can achieve these milestones, a child has a choice to make: who will sponsor them? Here is what some of the children said about the reason they chose their particular sponsor:

“I picked you for your smile!” – Moreen from Kenya, age 12
“You’re a happy person.” – Aylin from Guatemala, age 4
“You look like my mother.” – Ndinda from Kenya, age 7
“Your daughter looks happy!” – Edgar (and his mom) from Guatemala, age 2
“You have a smile we like a lot.” – Gustavo (and his mom) from Guatemala, age 5

What do these reasons tell us? The children use their intuition and judgement to pick a sponsor who exudes love, safety and confidence. They build a connection of trust and interest from the beginning, prompting them to look forward to communication with a donor.

As one of the leading child sponsorship organizations, World Vision sees this type of program as a way for donors to help one life at a time while creating a stronger network among communities. A child who can go to school will learn about the greater world, how to help their region and make decisions on their own. A child that has healthy food choices every day will grow to be strong, contribute to their family and build a future. A child who is part of a community that receives assistance will often become someone who gives back, creating a ripple effect that helps to build a better world.

Who wouldn’t want to be a catalyst for that kind change? The truth is a sponsor’s world changes with the child’s. Lifelong giving can be inspired when a before-and-after difference can be seen; when someone knows they can enact change effectively. And that’s World Vision’s promise to all sponsors and donors: their gift is valued, appreciated, and will be proven that it was put to the best use possible for the receiving community.

Until recently, child sponsorship was an individual giving experience. This past October, World Vision opened the doors for corporations to incorporate child sponsorship as an employee engagement opportunity. The ChosenTM experience for companies was launched to celebrate International Day of the Girl with the goal to help partners increase awareness of their corporate social responsibility commitment, engage employees and lift girls out of poverty.

So how does it work?

  1. World Vision representatives present the program to your employees and discuss the impact a donor can have on children in the developing world.
  2. Employees who choose to participate have their photo taken.
  3. World Vision shares the photos with the boys & girls who then choose their own sponsors.
  4. Participating employees receive a photo and message from the child who selected them, and the two can begin to develop a relationship.
  5. The child receives the support they need for a brighter future.

If you’re interested in arranging this type of experience for your company, Global Impact can coordinate. Reach out to us and get started today! Be chosen!
Photo credit: Laura Reinhardt / World Vision