Advocate for Children
Marcus Rixon was born in South Asia where crushing poverty brings economic instability and social injustices.
“I felt like I had a friend in a different part of the world that actually cared for me … and now where I am, I can see how important it is.”
Poverty Threatens Children
OneChild works in 14 of the world’s most poverty-stricken nations.
- 385 million children are living in extreme poverty.
- 19.5% of children in developing countries live in households that survive on an average of $1.90/day.
- 3 million children and adolescents are living with HIV.
- 150 million children under 5 years of age are stunted due to malnutrition.
- 115 million youth (age 15-24) are illiterate — and most are girls.
Communities Can Overcome Poverty
We believe that through a global community — a community of people who listen to, understand, and sacrifice for one another; a community bound together by the love of Christ; a community with children at its center — we can overcome poverty. We are building that community.
OneChild works with local leaders in hard places, connecting people with resources to people with the access, skills, and commitment to care for children in need.
About Our Approach
Malaria
Malaria, a disease caused by a bite from an infected mosquito, is a devastating problem in many countries where OneChild works.
- Nearly 300,000 children overseas under 5 die of malaria each year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito nets on a regular basis is one of the most effective ways to prevent malaria transmission and reduce malaria-related deaths.
How OneChild Helps
In many communities at risk for malaria infections, OneChild provides children in developing countries with a mosquito net. Child Champions at Hope Centers also educate children and families about how to reduce risks, such as cleaning up trash and getting rid of standing water around their homes, since these can attract mosquitoes. In addition, doctors on staff in many countries where OneChild works make sure that children who become infected are quickly treated with antimalarial therapy and given other medical care for maximum survival and health.
Provide medical care to at-risk kids
Unsafe Water
Serious diarrheal illnesses, parasites, and other infections often plague the poorest families who can’t afford to buy safe drinking water or can’t afford to boil the water adequately for drinking.
- Nearly 800 million impoverished people worldwide still lack basic water service, and nearly 150 million people still collect drinking water from rivers, lakes, and other surface water sources.
- Children from impoverished families and those living in rural areas are affected the most by a lack of unsafe water to drink.
How OneChild Helps
OneChild works in some of the remotest areas of the world where families are most at risk from unsafe water. Child Champions at these Hope Centers educate families about properly boiling their water. In addition, doctors on staff in many countries help guide treatment when kids get sick, and through extra donations from caring sponsors and donors in the U.S., special water filtration systems and other interventions can be provided for at-risk communities.
Provide kids with safe water
Malnutrition
Children living in poverty who don’t have enough food to eat are in danger. They can’t learn well, often have lower immunity, can become very sick from common illnesses, and can even die without immediate care.
- Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributed to undernutrition; undernutrition puts children at greater risk of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections, and delays recovery.
- Nearly 1 in 4 – 149 million children under 5 – have impaired growth and development, and more than 49 million suffer from low weight for their height. Both problems are strong predictors of mortality among children under 5.
How OneChild Helps
Child Champions are dedicated to proper child development by making sure children thrive at their Hope Centers. Children receive healthful meals and snacks while at the centers, and children who are malnourished receive special care and interventions, many from medical professionals on staff for OneChild.
Provide care to undernourished kids
Access to Education
Children who finish school have more positive opportunities for their future. For example, parents who can read expand their job prospects and are more successful with practical life skills, such as reading instructions on medications. Children in the most impoverished communities, however, don’t often finish school but instead can become child brides and grooms and begin working. These children around the world can even become victims of child labor and often work in dangerous factories or other harmful environments.
- Although the number of out-of-school children of primary school age declined globally from 100 million to 61 million between 2000 and 2015, progress has stalled since 2007. Children in sub-Saharan Africa are most affected by this problem.
- Regional and gender disparities persist. Literacy is lowest in least developed countries and higher among males than females. In the most recent years for which data are available, young women accounted for 59% of the total illiterate youth population.
How OneChild Helps
The child sponsorship model of our missional outreach requires registered girls and boys in our program to go to school, which directly leads to many opportunities for the children to thrive. Caring, dedicated teachers at OneChild’s schools encourage them, make sure they are learning and stay on track, and Child Champions at Hope Centers tutor kids so they stay focused on their studies.
Share Your Story
Whether you are a OneChild sponsor or not, you belong to our community. If you have witnessed or experienced poverty in a way that changed your heart, we ask you to join us in advocating for the children living in poverty today through our transformational development program.
Every voice against poverty adds to the chorus. Use yours by sharing on social media.
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