Children growing up in poverty face many tough challenges. Little or no access to necessities like clean water, a safe and sturdy home and a good education are just a few. Of course, each family’s circumstances are unique and are often in flux, changing due to factors such as illness, the economic situation in their county or city, home rental increases, and much more.
Without having personally visited one of the countries where we work, it can be tough to envision the world in which impoverished children live. But as a sponsor, you have the life-changing opportunity to visit your child and see the impact you’re having. Sponsors who visit always return with a better understanding of their child’s world. They often tell us the experience profoundly changed the way they perceive their own lives.
Our vision is bringing people together to end poverty for good. And with help from people like you, we see it happening daily. Working in underprivileged communities with impoverished families, we build healthy environments and help empower children to create lasting change that continues for generations. Our programs focus on health, education, empowerment and employability, providing children with a path out of poverty and real opportunities to build a future they never thought possible. Data shows that focusing on these four interconnected areas enables children to end generational poverty for their families and empowers them to have a positive impact in their communities and in the world.
Around the world, every community has distinct needs and suffers from its own set of obstacles. Our team assesses the conditions in every country we serve to create specific, proven programs that help children overcome the unique challenges of their communities and free themselves from a life in poverty.
Our programs are designed to meet the changing needs of impoverished children through each phase of their development. And our staff have the flexibility to customize programs to best fill the gaps of the individuals and communities we serve. Early interventions help kids cultivate important life skills, stay healthy and in school. As they grow, youth receive training and education that helps them build a poverty-free life.
Children living in poverty often have greater health problems and are more likely to suffer from preventable diseases because of a lack of proper treatment. Health issues are often the main factor plunging families further into poverty. Poor health keeps children from school for weeks or even years at a time, leaving them falling behind without the support or resources to catch up. Our programmatic approach fosters healthy behaviors, including good hygiene and proper nutrition, and provides access to health and dental care, through both telehealth services and at our community centers.
Living in poverty, many children fall behind and don’t have the resources or support to catch up. Without proper education, children and youth are more likely to turn toward negative influences, and less likely to ultimately find work in the formal job sector as adults. Education is essential to giving children a chance to break the cycle of poverty for good. Our tutoring programs help fill the gaps for children who have fallen behind and are at risk for dropping out. We also provide uniforms, scholarships and computer classes to help children reach graduation day and create lasting change in their lives.
Can you imagine growing up and never seeing someone graduate from high school or find a life outside the poverty of your community? For children in our programs, creating change begins by helping them envision a future they never thought possible. And one reason we focus on empowerment is to help disadvantaged children and youth gain the hope and confidence they need to end generational poverty for good. Our programs foster social responsibility through leadership, life skills and employment-training workshops, so children are empowered to make an impact in their communities.
Many children and youth in our communities can’t envision a life free from poverty because they’ve never seen an example of success or been given the tools to find employment. How can you apply for a job if you can’t complete a résumé? How do you secure stable employment if you don’t know where to look for work? Providing youth in our communities the confidence and job skills they need to contribute to their local economy is crucial to helping them end generational poverty. Our programs help youth gain marketable skills through continuing education courses, vocational classes, employment prep courses and more to put them on track to a better future.
We are changing lives in 10 countries around the world for 200K children. What makes the most impact in everything we do? You and the support you give a deserving child in need of sponsorship.
For 80+ years, we have been helping children in poverty. In FY 2023, 82% of our total operating expenses supported programs for children and youth.
Have questions or need some help? Good news: We’d love to talk with you!
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Our live chat isn’t available right now (check out our hours below). But you can send us an email at children@children.org. Or you can check out our Frequently Asked Questions section to find a quick answer.
