NEWS > World-first for Child Sponsorship
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World-first for Child Sponsorship
Published in Challenge Weekly, 17 August 2009.
 A New Zealand innovation that has created a unique approach to child sponsorship could be the catalyst to revolutionising child sponsorship donor programmes worldwide. So says Darren Ward, national director of cbm (formerly Christian Blind Mission), which introduced the new initiative last week. International netballer and Magic defender Leana de Bruin launched the cbm Child Disability Sponsorship programme on August 9 by becoming its first sponsor. The programme is being pilot tested in New Zealand, then will be trialed in Canada and Germany, before being launched worldwide early next year. Mr Ward said the programme minimised administration costs while still providing donors with an emotional connection with children who would benefit.The programme differs from other similar sponsorships by putting all donors in touch with a single 'symbolic' child. Funds raised will also be used to help other disabled children, and their families and local communities. Every year, a new symbolic child will feature and donors will receive comprehensive information about their progress. This streamlined process enables donors to receive more detailed and meaningful information about the child than would normally be the case. "Engaging all sponsors with one symbolic child, who is real and has a clear and authentic need for cbm's transformational work, means that around 80 per cent of funds raised can be directly used to support children with disabilities," says Mr Ward. The programme's first symbolic child is a six-year-old Ugandan boy named Fred. He was born with a cleft palate and his parents are too poor to afford medical care to fix it. Although many children like Fred die from infection or starve, he survived but was taunted, found it difficult to speak and was too scared to go to school. His cleft palate has been repaired, creating major improvements to his appearance and self-confidence. A support programme for the coming 12 months includes speech therapy, education and helping his parents to enhance their livelihoods. "It costs very little - only $1 a day - to make a real impact on an impoverished, disabled child's life," said Mr Ward. "I hope this innovative sponsorship programme motivates New Zealanders to help empower poor people who have disabilities." To become a sponsor sign on here or call toll free to 0800 77 22 64. To go to the original article click here. |
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