How child sponsorship works

What does my child sponsorship achieve?

When you sponsor a child in Africa, your donation supports the community your sponsored child lives in. This way the children themselves, their families, neighbours and friends can benefit from the development work World Vision undertakes in partnership with the people of the area.

Your support helps build education and health facilities, infrastructure as well as water and food security projects. Most importantly your support empowers the community and gives them the tools to work themselves out of poverty. World Vision works under the principle: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day – teach a man how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

Last year our communities (Area Development Programmes) worked hard and developed micro financing and income generating projects, implemented new farming techniques for better harvests and fought hard against threats to their children like Malaria and HIV/AIDS. You can read more about our Area Development Programmes in their individual overviews here on the site.

How is my sponsorship money spent?

In our financial year 2010, World Vision Ireland sent 77% of funds raised to help people living in poverty overseas. Only 23% was spent on administration costs including programme monitoring, staff wages, office maintenance, and marketing to attract more supporters. Every year World Vision Ireland publishes an annual report which provides specific details on all financial activities.

Click here to find out more about World Vision Ireland's financial information.

This means you can trust that your money is being used well. In addition, 97% of World Vision staff are nationals from the countries where we work, so we truly understand the culture and environment we're working in. The money always goes to where it is needed most within the community; but even more than that, your kindness reaches far beyond the life of the child you are sponsoring. Your support gives World Vision Ireland the means to work towards improving the lives of the entire community.