Whilst children are the focus of the Child Sponsorship Programme, your support also helps to empower mothers and other carers. This is achieved primarily through education and community initiatives.

It is important to us that people are empowered and given the tools to help themselves, rather than being led into dependency. To ensure families are better off in the long term, the holistic approach of our work is therefore crucial. Solutions to financial and social challenges go hand in hand. How does this work? Our partner organisation in Rwanda, for example, regularly organises self-help groups and workshops for mothers whose children are in the sponsorship programme. A popular training session is the savings club.

Marline* is one of the many mothers who attends the programme.

“I am grateful for the training, which has helped us save 1,500 Rwandan francs (equivalent to around €1) a month for a year, so that we can provide for emergencies and repay debts without interest. I hope that I can achieve even more in the future,” she says.

Most parents want a bright future for their children. A support network where they can share their struggles, successes and everyday life is very important for mothers like Marline. These women often face isolation and stigmatisation. How wonderful that, thanks to you, they receive not only human support but also practical guidance through knowledge-sharing!

Would you like to support programmes such as the Child Sponsorship Programme? We welcome more people to join us as bearers of hope.

*Name changed to protect the individual