What is child sponsorship and how does it help?

When you sponsor a child with World Vision you become aligned with a specific child living in poverty. Your $48 a month means life-changing access to clean water, food, health, education and more, helping to address the root causes of poverty and creating transformation and sustainable change in a child's life.  
 
Because of our community-focused solutions, for every child you help, four more children benefit. As your sponsored child gets better access to the things they need to thrive - their friends, family and community do too.
 
All of this happens while you have the opportunity to build a relationship with a child through letters, photos and updates about them and their community.
Girl with arms out stretched, holding a photo of her sponsor family, smiling

How child sponsorship works

World Vision Child Sponsorship helps change children’s lives by transforming the area where they live. Using your donations, we identify the causes of children’s poverty and vulnerability and create development projects to address them. 

When you sponsor a child with World Vision, you’re joining a community of generous people in Australia and around the world who are committed to bringing lasting change to children living in poverty.

A girl in a yellow tshirt standing out the front of a building, reading a letter from her sponsor

Addressing poverty's root causes

Working with children, families and their community to assess their greatest needs, current opportunities and develop an action plan to improve access to essentials like clean drinking water, education, healthcare and nutritious food.

Two people smiling and sharing some water. One is in a vibrant blue wheelchair

Developing systems to thrive

Tracking progress and measuring the success of programs and their impact on the community and vulnerable children throughout the program helps communities develop their own systems so they can continue to thrive.

Two children and their parents smiling for a photo with their shopping bags and produce

Creating self-sufficient community

When the community has grown healthier and more self-sufficient, we transition out and move to another area in need. From beginning to end this transformational journey takes about 15 years and it’s made possible because of your generosity.

Sponsor a child today

Depending on needs in the child’s area, sponsorship projects may focus on:

A boy laughing as he tries to hold a chicken up. He is in an undercover garden area

Income generation

Microloans, business training and a variety of skills training enable families to provide for their children’s needs. The programs are community led and therefore, highly sustainable.

A woman holding an infant in front of a health information poster

Health

Good health is the foundation of a child’s life. Access to essential services, vaccinations, medical clinics and training in disease prevention provides stronger health, for children and their communities.

A girl with short hair enjoying a class of water infront of a brick building

Safe drinking water

Access to safe water through well-drilling, pumps and training in hygiene and sanitation decreases child mortality and frees up time for education instead of water collection.

A young boy sitting cross legged in hut reading a book

Education

Empowering children starts with access to education, classroom equipment and supplies plus training for teachers and parents. This provides a child with opportunities for a better future.

A girl holding a juicy looking watermelon, leaning against a big tree

Food and agriculture

Going beyond food distribution to a focus on creating sustainable food supplies through agricultural programs and nutritional training ensures that children are well-nourished and healthy.

Your generosity means real results 

Former sponsored child Nancy reflects on how the generosity of her sponsor, Georgie, changed her life and the legacy she is continuing.
With the help of child sponsorship, Nancy became one of the first girls in her community to graduate high school and was inspired to become a humanitarian. Nancy’s life completely transformed because of child sponsorship. Now her desire is that other vulnerable children receive the same opportunities she had as a child. 
Georgie with her sponsored child, Nancy, meeting for the first time

[Child sponsorship] made me appreciate a second chance in life so I like giving people second chances. Thinking back now, I was hoping that I was helping … I had no idea to what extent that it would go and what a difference.
- Georgie
Hear from people like you who have helped to transform the lives of children and their families from around the world.

As a child sponsor you get:

An envelope and welcome pack that is sent in the mail to new child sponsors for World Vision Australia

Your personalised welcome pack

Full of all the information you’ll need about your sponsored child, including their photo and more information about them and their community.

A man with a beard, wearing a white tshirt, smiling as he checks his mobile device

Your personalised online account

Experience the real impact sponsoring a child makes. Discover more about your sponsored child’s activities, health and education.

A child wearing a black tshirt reading a letter from a sponsor, outside of a mud hut

A real connection

Sponsored children love to hear from their sponsors. So on special occasions, including birthdays and Christmas, we make it easy for you to send a card to your sponsored child to share the joy with them.

A woman wearing a black dress, using her mobile device to check updates about her sponsor child

News, videos and photo updates

With regular supporter updates, you’ll see the impact of your giving on your sponsored child and the progress you’re supporting in their community.

Women in bright dresses pushing yellow handled water tumbers down dirt path, with greenery in the background

Impact that goes both ways

They get to feel you there every step of the way. You get to watch them grow and their community change, knowing you're responsible for changing someone’s world.

An envelope, letter and receipt for World Vision Australia

Your annual tax-deductible receipt

We’ll send you an Annual Tax Statement in July detailing your donations in the past financial year. You can also see all of your details in your online account at any time of the year.

What people are saying about child sponsorship

yvonne-testimonial

Child sponsorship is not just food and water – it’s also a deep bond, a privilege to have the opportunity to be part of a child’s life in that way. We’ve got three adult children, and they’ve all left home now but we can continue to sponsor children and give them a chance just like our own children had a wonderful chance.

– Yvonne and Bob sponsor Srey from Cambodia and have sponsored several other children for 29 years

How your giving helps change lives

As a leading charity in Australia, we are committed to building trust through being transparent about our operations.

80.5%* our work, 10.2% Fundraising, 9.3% Admin and accountability

80.5%* of total funds received go to field programs and advocacy work - helping families and communities.
*2022 financial year
See more details

Our most frequently asked questions about child sponsorship

Is child sponsorship tax deductible?

Your sponsorship donations are tax deductible. As a sponsor, you’ll also have access to a My World Vision online account, which allows you to quickly and easily access your tax statements and update your personal details.

What happens if my financial situation changes?

Child sponsorship is a very special journey that develops over time. That’s why we encourage you to view sponsorship as a long-term partnership. Sponsors tell us how much they enjoy watching their sponsored child grow up, as their support makes a real difference from year to year. 

But we understand that your circumstances may change, and that’s why you can cancel your sponsorship at any time, for any reason. If that happens, we’ll continue to care for the child you’ve sponsored through our work in the community and may give them the opportunity of connecting with a new sponsor. 

If you don’t wish to cancel your sponsorship, but would like to adjust your donations, we have flexible options to help you continue your support in a way that suits you. 

You may also like to consider sharing the cost of child sponsorship with others. Some sponsors team up with a friend, family member, or a group of people. It's also possible to transfer your existing child sponsorship to someone else if you'd like. 

Simply get in touch with us on 13 32 40 if you’d like to discuss your options or cancel your sponsorship. 

How do I get to know my sponsored child better?

Supporters often tell us that the best part of sponsoring children is seeing the real difference they are making in a child's life. And the best place to see this change unfold is My World Vision online account – your personal window into your sponsored child’s world.

Writing to your sponsored child is also a great way to learn more about them and the difference you are helping to make in their community.

Most sponsored children love to receive letters and cards from their sponsors. It can be a great source of encouragement for them to know that someone far away cares about them and their future.

There are three ways to correspond and build a connection with your sponsored child:

  1. Send a greeting card or letter supplied by World Vision. To make it easy to keep in touch, several times a year you’ll be given the opportunity to send them a card or letter – including at Christmas and for their birthday.
  2. Send an eLetter to your sponsored child via the My World Vision website. It’s a quick and easy way to write to your sponsored child. Your eLetter will be sent to the World Vision office in your sponsored child’s country. It will be printed, translated and passed on to your sponsored child. You’ll receive your response via regular print post.
  3. Write a letter or card and post it to your sponsored child. Many sponsors send a letter, card or postcard directly to their sponsored child's country. You can do this any time. Information and guidelines on writing to your sponsored child can be viewed here.

How can I be sure where my donation really goes?

When you give to World Vision, you can be assured that your donation will be well spent to have the greatest possible impact on children and communities who need it most.

Our programmes are run by our own staff or local, trusted partner organisations.

We also support communities to better know and uphold their rights.

Additionally, our accounts are independently audited every year and we’re regulated by the Charities Commission.

So you can be sure we spend your donations how we say we will, to reach the most vulnerable children and communities.  This simply wouldn’t be possible without thousands of people like you.

 

I am not ready to become a child sponsor yet, how else can I contribute financially?

Your generosity will support a range of programs to help children live life to the fullest.

You can help where it is needed most, join us in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, help children facing famine and help protect vulnerable children in developing countries from trafficking and exploitation. Find out more on ourGeneral Donations page.

Am I the only sponsor for my sponsor child?

Yes. When you sponsor a child, you become a special part of their life journey – World Vision assigns only one sponsor per sponsored child.

Should your sponsorship end for any reason then your sponsored child may be given the opportunity to connect with a new sponsor.

Have another question about child sponsorship?

You can visit our Child Sponsorship FAQ page for many of the questions our Australian sponsors have. 
 
Or for further information, please call us on 13 32 40. 
View more FAQ's