WRITTEN BY ERYN AUSTIN BERGEN
It seems like child
sponsorship has become a trusted pillar of development fund raising
over the past two decades. Well known organizations like World Vision
and Save the Children regularly encourage westerners to sponsor
children in developing countries. But to what end? What, exactly,
does child sponsorship accomplish in terms of ending the cycle of
extreme poverty? Does it simply better the life of one individual
while her family and peers continue to fall farther below the poverty
line?
In both their brand
promise and purpose, FH Canada emphasizes a commitment to
communities. Can the promotion of individual child sponsorship be
consistent with that messaging? They would argue that it is. Consider
the case of Marie Louise.
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| Marie Louise's family of seven in front of their home. |
Marie Louise is a
sponsored child living in Ntwali, Rwanda. She was born into
challenging circumstances, to say the least. Her father, Kagabe, is
disabled to the point of not being able to stand or walk without
support. The family did everything they could to provide him with the
best medical treatment available, even selling all their belongings
to pay the bills, but to no avail. It appears his condition is
irreversible.
One repercussion of their
deepening poverty was the lack of resources to pay the mandatory
school fees and supplies - Marie Louise’s two older brothers were
forced to drop out of primary school. Not long after, Marie Louise
also had to quit her education.
In 2004, however, FH
Rwanda began working in Ntwali. A number of children were identified
by the Ntwali community as needing a helping hand from the
sponsorship program. Much to the jubilation of her mother, Marie
Louise was one of the children registered for child sponsorship.
“What a blessing to see my child registered for sponsorship!”
Mukaneza exclaimed. “My family still recognizes FH support, from
the time my child was just a little girl until today.”
As a result of the funds
received from child sponsors, Kagabe was able to send his daughter
back to school, and her family received medical insurance and
income-generating aids like agricultural tools.
Marie Louise almost
dropped out of school for a second time when she failed to pass her
primary school graduating exams. Fortunately, the FH Rwanda staff was
already in place to provide her with encouragement and help. Because
of these supportive relationships, Marie Louise was able to persevere
through her educational set-backs, and eventually pass her university
entrance exams with flying colours. To date, she continues to
crank out top marks.
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| Marie Louise with her proud father, Kagabe |
“I find school very
enjoyable, thanks to the emotional and material support I got from
FH," she testifies, "I would have left school when I was
little, just like my brothers did, but I’m so happy I didn’t. Now
I get to acquire knowledge that will help me get a job and support my
family and myself.”
Marie Louise now has high
hopes for her future. “I would like to become a nurse,” she says,
“In my capacity as a nurse, I would extend love to the sick
especially those most vulnerable ones. I will be able to support
vulnerable people like mothers, and show compassion to those in need,
just as my sponsor was so kind to me and to my family in general.”
As you can see from Marie
Louise's testimony, child sponsorship at FH is not just about the
individual. The financial support given by her sponsors provided her
entire family with medical care, income-generating tools and
training, and empowered her parents to send their daughter back to
school. Now their Marie Louise is planning her future and
considering how she can give back to her family and her community -
she is preparing to invest in the lives of others and help stop the
cycle of poverty.
When child sponsorship
is part of an integrated, holistic development approach, as it is in
Ntwali, the whole community benefits, and child sponsorship is a
success.
Visit the FH website to learn more about community focused child sponsorship.
