Sponsor a child and give them the opportunities they might not otherwise have.

The lottery of birth means that none of us have control of the circumstances into which we are born. In Australia alone there were 730,000 children living in poverty as of October 2016, so there’s about a three per cent chance of any of us experiencing the hunger, homelessness, disadvantage and struggle that comes with poverty.

If you have no experience of this, it’s hard to imagine. Kids in this situation miss out on so much.

Education at best is free, but parents may not be able to cover the costs of transport, uniforms and learning materials. Your family, struggling with living costs, may save enough money to send your sibling to school, but not have enough for you. They may even decide that you need to work, because they cannot afford for you to not provide for the family.

You don’t always have enough to eat, and when you do make it to school, you are often hungry and find it hard to concentrate. You feel excluded socially and your parents worry when you get sick, because they can’t afford the doctors’ bills and medicine to make you better.

When young people experience a lack of education, or face difficulties studying, they find it harder to gain valuable employment later in life. So, the cycle of poverty continues.

A global challenge on poverty

 According to the World Bank, around 385 million children are living in extreme poverty around the world. That means they survive on less than $US1.90 per day in low and middle-income countries.

As if living in poverty wasn’t enough to deal with the knock-on effect is hardship, like losing your parents at an early age, facing war or turmoil in your home country, experiencing violence or abuse.

For less than $2 a day you can help

Initiatives that allow you to sponsor a child, either in Australia or overseas, make a huge difference to children’s lives and help to break the cycle of poverty. They can also be a great way of teaching your own children about the issues facing kids just like them around the world. The empathy they gain as a result means they start their own journey on philanthropy and giving, and being concerned and compassionate global citizens.

How to sponsor a child in Australia

You can sponsor a primary school student with The Smith Family to provide school essentials, guidance and support, and access to out-of-school educational opportunities. Cost = $48 a month. Less than $1.60 per day.

You can also sponsor a child with Barnardos and provide virtual foster care to a child affected by difficulties such as poverty, abuse, violence, mental illness, drug and alcohol issues, homelessness and disability. Cost = $30 a month, around $1 a day.

Sponsor a child overseas

• Sponsor a Child Focused Centre with The Salvation Army. These centres support students with education, provide medical care, and assist vulnerable children, such as orphans and children with disabilities. Cost = $35 a month. Around $1.15 a day.
• Sponsor a child with World Vision Australia, and feel good that you are helping provide clean water and sanitation, health and nutrition, food and agriculture, and education and child rights, to kiddies facing poverty and injustice. The cost is $48 a month, less than $2 a day.
• Sponsor a child with Save The Children to support programs that literally give disadvantaged children around the world what they need to survive. They are also given the opportunity to create a better future for themselves and their community. Cost = $40 a month. Less than $1.50 a day.

If your employer provides workplace giving with Good2Give, you can sponsor a child through your workplace giving program. That can be your regular donation. All you need to do is contact the charity with the child sponsorship program and they will give you a reference number, and you can then use that to set your monthly donation in the Good2Give Workplace Giving Platform. If you have any questions, you can contact our Workplace Giving service team.

To celebrate #GivingTuesday, we are asking Australians to give a little each day and then share their efforts with a photo or post on Facebook or LinkedIn. All you need to do is tag @good2give #GivingTuesday with your post.

Next