I am Actually Helping the Whole Village
As a sponsor, have you ever thought that sponsoring a child means sending money directly to a family every month? There are many ways to help people, what is the most effective one in the long run? If it were up to you to decide, how would you have helped your sponsored child?
Many children in poverty do not have access to clean water, it is a problem they face every day. For example, in Kainuk, Kenya, there was a lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in the past. Children were prone to water-borne diseases and malnutrition, even unable to attend school regularly because of poor health conditions.
Instead of buying water for every child, World Vision has built 23 water stations and 6 livestock water troughs in Kainuk, so that sponsored children and villagers no longer have to walk long distances to collect water or share drinking water with livestock. The convenient water supply network not only provides clean drinking water for children and villagers, but also effectively solves water shortage in the long run.
We understand that "it is better to teach a man to fish, than to give him a fish." Rather than feeding children in poverty, it is better to equip a poor family with skills, so that they can be self-reliant. Back then, villagers in Kainuk relied entirely on pastoralism for a living. Once water and pastures were in short supply, their livelihoods would be threatened.
Therefore, besides developing water resources, World Vision also provided farming and business training for community members, enabling families to start their own vegetable gardens to cultivate nutritious food for self-consumption and even run small businesses. These have not only addressed the problem of malnutrition among children, but also improved the livelihoods of families. Villagers can now provide for their children's needs in all aspects, including their education expenses!
There are multiple reasons why children in poverty cannot go to school: other than malnutrition which makes them too sick or too weak to learn, some of them simply cannot afford their tuition fees. Besides, many parents do not understand the importance of education and would rather have their children work as child labour or get married early to support the family. The lack of schools, teaching materials and qualified teachers are also factors that stop these children from accessing education.
In order to let children enjoy their right to learn, World Vision not only helped improve children's health conditions and the livelihoods of their families, but also built classrooms, provided better boarding facilities and gave training to teachers in Kainuk. As a result, more school-age children, including children of herders, can attend school and enjoy a nice learning environment. Through training and lectures, parents now understand the importance of education and send their children to school willingly.
We all want to help poor children thrive. However, just sending money or supplies may not be the best way to help and transform their lives. Therefore, the Child Sponsorship Programme centres around children and is community-based. In addition to following up on each and every child, it also sets out to facilitate the development of the whole community. Because it is only when family and community conditions are improved that children can have a nurturing environment to live and grow, where they can enjoy good health, receive education, develop themselves, and move towards their goals in lives.
The Kainuk community in Kenya is an example of our work. Thanks to your donations and care, World Vision has worked together with community members for over a decade to improve the whole community, enabling sponsored children to thrive and benefitting other children and villagers in the community.
If there are any questions about sponsorship, or other topics that you would like us to cover, please send us an email at [email protected] to "Discovery Sponsorship Journey". Your questions may become the topic of our upcoming issue!
