Posted on October 01, 2010 by CJ Article Team

There are so many children in need throughout the world. It can be difficult to understand why most families in the West have so much food and material things, while families and children in poor countries struggle to survive. Sadly, the fact is that around a billion children are in need and live in desperate poverty. Children in need do not have enough food, shelter, clean water or medical care. These are global issues that need global solutions. But, thankfully there are ways in which each of us can reach out to help children. The best way to reach out is by supporting a child charity that concentrates on bringing both practical and spiritual help to the most needy children.

Through supporting a child charity we can be sure that our help is of real benefit to children in need. A small gesture, that costs just dollars a month, can transform the life of one particular child in need. And we know it because we can communicate with “our” child, exchanging letters and photographs and learning how our support is spent. This simple but life-changing way of giving involves sponsorship of an individual child in need – a boy or a girl.

A small, fixed sum of money is sent every month through the child charity, and ensures that children in need who are living in poverty:

• Are properly fed.
• Have clean drinking water.
• Receive health care including immunizations and medicines.
• Have secure shelter.
• Receive a good education leading to training opportunities.

It’s a lot for such a small amount. Yet child charity programs really do work, helping to ensure that children in need are lifted from the spiral of poverty, misery and deprivation and given hope. The secret to the success of supporting by sponsorship is the work done by the world’s best child charities. Over years of dedication and teamwork, each charity has established highly effective sponsorship and programs for supporting children in need in countries such as India, Peru, Uganda, Bangladesh, Colombia, Ethiopia and many other countries in the developing world. By reaching out and supporting children through a respected child charity, you can be sure that your dollars go to the children who need your help the most. But before you donate, learn about the child charity you have chosen and make sure it is reputable. Find out exactly how your money will be spent, and check out the charity’s results and accountability.

Christian charities offer something beyond material aid. They also promise to reach out to deprived children with spiritual nourishment, so that they learn about Jesus and His work, about the power of prayer, and about God’s love for each of them. As one child charity explained it, sponsored children are in need and vulnerable. They not only need physical care, but prayers for their health, safety, education and spiritual development.

A Christian child charity usually works in partnership with local churches in the developing countries. As well as the direct sponsorship for supporting individual children, charities might also be involved in other local projects such as improving clean water supplies and training teachers and health workers.

One of the most rewarding aspects for a sponsor is being in direct communication with the child they have chosen to reach out and support. Sponsors and children exchange letters, drawings and photographs and prayers. In addition, the sponsor receives regular reports about the child’s progress. It is a very personal way of giving, and the sponsor becomes a real and loved part of the family in time.

A child who is sponsored feels very blessed. Not only will he or she grow up healthy and educated, but also with the knowledge that someone thousands of miles away has reached out to care for the child’s welfare. Reaching out to children in need by supporting through sponsorship really is God’s work in action.