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Child sponsorship allows an individual, typically in a developed country, to sponsor, or fund a child in a developing country until the child becomes self sufficient. This could mean financially supporting the education, health or security of the sponsored child, or in some cases all of these. This could also mean contributing more widely to the child's community developing without directly helping the child.

Contents 1 History of child sponsorship 2 Child sponsorship process 3 Criticism 4 See also 5 Child sponsorship organizations

After choosing a child to sponsor, the charitable organization that manages the sponsorship typically sends information about the child to the sponsor. These organizations direct money to, and manage communication between sponsored children and their sponsors, including translating letters, and in some cases ensuring that the communications are appropriate [1].

Critics point out that child sponsorship could alienate the relatively privileged sponsored children from their peers and may perpetuate harmful stereotypes about third-world citizens being helpless. They also claim that child sponsorship causes cultural confusion and unrealistic aspirations on the part of the recipient, and that child sponsorship is expensive to administer [2],[3]. This latter problem has led some charities such as Save the Children UK to offer information about a "typical" child to very many sponsors rather than one specifically supported by the sponsor. Some major child sponsorship organizations use the funds given for community development and do not claim any direct benefit to the child (e.g. see ActionAid) others use the funds directly for the child and their immediate community or family, e.g. Every Child or SOS Children, others again are somewhere in between, with the child benefitting from a wider community project such as a school or medical centre (e.g. World Vision or Plan ).

The Rough Guide to a Better World a UK government publication reviewing some types of sponsorship, including arguments for and against.

Many organizations run child sponsorship programmes including 35 based in the UK alone:
ChildFund[4]
Compassion International
World Vision
Abaana
SOS Children[5]
SOS Children's Villages USA
Galilee School in Kenya
Christian Upliftment School in Uganda
Give an Opportunity[6]
C.H.E.R. Canada