When Hope Can’t Wait

It’s hard to overstate the impact a sponsor can have on the life of a child; we’ve shared many stories that prove it.

But what about kids who don’t have a sponsor?

Child Champions serving kids in some of the hardest places imaginable know their needs are urgent.

The kids can’t wait for a sponsor before they start receiving nutritional support, the means to start school, a safe place with safe people who advocate for them, and the good news of God’s love for them.

And that’s where a group of unsung champions steps in.

Children being registered at a Hope Center in Kenya.

The Wait Begins

When a new Hope Center opens in a hard place, or when a center has room to enroll more children, dozens of kids from the surrounding community are invited to register.

Emmanuel (right) with his father Kingi and mother Mapenzi

Parents like Kingi, a dad in Kenya, often tell us how having their child join the program was a turning point for the whole family.

“I never imagined the dream of taking my son to school would come true,” he says. “And I was scared that he would grow up hopeless like most of us did. But when Emmanuel’s Hope Center took in Emmanuel, we got a reprieve.”

That sense of relief and hope for the future came the moment Emmanuel was registered.

When children like Emmanuel enroll at a Hope Center, it takes time for each of them to be connected with a sponsor. To the family’s delight , a woman named Janice chose to become Emmanuel’s sponsor.

People choose a child to sponsor based on a variety of factors — sometimes a shared birthday or the child’s age or interests. And some children are simply not chosen as soon as others. So they may wait for months, or even years, to be sponsored.

Thanks to supporters of OneChild’s Unsponsored Children’s Fund, however, they don’t have to wait for hope.

See joy-filled videos of Hope Centers in action!

All the Love and Hope from Day One

Daritza graduated from the OneChild program and went on to be a tutor at her former Hope Center.

While a child is waiting for a sponsor, she still receives all the benefits of the program.

But the cost of her support — things like food, school supplies, tutoring, training classes, and more — have to be paid for without the help of a sponsor.

That’s why the Unsponsored Children’s Fund is vital. Daritza, from the Dominican Republic, shows us just how vital.

During her 10 years at her Hope Center, Daritza was never chosen by a sponsor. Daritza admits she missed receiving letters like the kids who had sponsors.

But she says, “Even though I wasn’t sponsored, I never felt bad or rejected. I had the community my sponsored friends had. I took the same vocational classes they did. I received the same privileges at my Hope Center … and the same amount of love as they received.”

Daritza’s Hope Center was so important to her that after graduation she went on to become a tutor there, helping the next generation of kids in her community.

Who are These Champions?

The people who support waiting children are as diverse as the children they help.

Some are sponsors who understand the difference they are making in their sponsored child’s life and want to extend that hope to even more kids.

Children celebrating on registration day at a Hope Center in the Philippines.

Others like Ron, a supporter from Colorado, aren’t sponsors, but they are still committed to bringing hope to children.

“I like to spread my support out to reach a lot of kids,” says Ron.

By giving to the Unsponsored Children’s Fund, Ron says he feels he is making a difference for children in many parts of the world.

As OneChild opens Hope Centers in more places than ever, it’s a joy to see the hope and excitement on the faces of children on “Registration Day.”

We know that many of those kids will soon be receiving their first letter from a sponsor, as men and women in the U.S. open their hearts to the kids during sponsorship events or online.

And we also know that the kids who are still waiting have faithful, unsung champions standing with them.

Daritza speaks for all the unsponsored kids when she says, “Thank you very much, because without you, today I would not be what I am. And many thanks to those who continue sponsoring and donating. Your generosity is what keeps this place running. Your support is what makes this place of hope possible and love possible for the children of my community.”