Objectives Through This lesson, parTicipanTs will: » Explore the dierence between communities that are living in poverty and those that are thriving. » Learn about God’s command to love and care or one another . » Explore what it means to sponsor a child and learn about the positive impacts ochild sponsorship. Child Sponsorship: A Lesson in Love PAGE 1 OF 12 This lesson helps the participants explore what poverty means and how they can make a dierence in the lie oa child through sponsorship. timE rEquirEd: 45-60 minutEs | intEndEd FOr GrAdEs 2-8 » Copies oHandout 1, “Country Cutouts”, ound on page 7, one or each participant » Mustard or other small seeds, one or each participant » Tape or glue » Newsprint » Marker » Pens or pencils, one or each participant » Copy oResource1, “Community Photos”, ound on page 12, you will need one copy oeach photo M a t e r i a l s N e e d e d
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» A copy o "The Sponsorship Dierence" slideshow which can be viewed and downloaded at
www.worldvisionresources.com just click on the “ree resources” icon and go to the “video” section.
» A computer with Internet (access to a projector i available) or viewing the slideshow
presentation and videos
» Copies o Resource 2, “Sponsorship Stories,” ound on page 13, one story or each group o our
to ve participants
» A large world map (large enough to place on a wall or viewing)
» "Sponsorship Rachael" video available at worldvisionresources.com
» A copy o Resource 3,"Thank You Sponsors!" ound on page 21.
» "Small Git, Big Dierence," video available at worldvisionresources.com. Just click on the "ree
resources" icon and go to the "video" section.
» Copies o Handout 2,"The Basics o Sponsorship" handout, ound on page 20, one or each
participant
Leader Preparation» You will need To cuT out the maps ound on the handout “Country Cutouts,” and
glue or tape a seed to each cutout.
» posT Two sheeTs o newsprint on the board or wall.
» download and preview videos rom worldvisionresources.com. Just click on the "ree
resources" icon and go to the "video" section.
Activity Steps
Begin The lesson by giving each participant one o the country cutouts you have prepared.Ask them to hold onto these during the presentation. Do not tell them why you have distributed the
cutout; simply let it remain a mystery or now.
lead a large group discussion inviting the participants to share what comes to mind
when they hear the word “poverty.” Note the responses on a sheet o newsprint.
» Millions o people around the world do not have homes, enough nutritious ood, clean water,
a school where they can learn, or money to buy clothes and medicine.» 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day. These people are living in poverty, meaning that
they do not have enough money, and their communities do not have enough resources to live
healthy, ull lives.
nexT, show The parTicipanTs the photos rom the resource “Community Photos.”
You might consider passing the images around so the participants can get a closer look. Invite the
participants to share what dierences they see between the villages, noting their responses on a new
sheet o newsprint. Then ask the participants which community they would preer to live in, and
why? Allow or several responses.
read aloud what Jesus says in John 15:12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have
loved you.” Explain that this means that we are called to love and care or people with our words
and actions. Then lead a group discussion asking the ollowing questions:
» Did someone ever give you a present or do something really nice or you? Explain what
happened. How did it make you eel?
» When others do something nice or you, do you want to do something nice or them in return?
during The discussion, be sure to share the ollowing key points:» Jesus also says we are to be generous to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:11) and always remember
the poor (Galatians 2:10).
» God has blessed us with many things we can use to help others. We can be generous with our
riendship, our creativity, our money, and our time.
» One way to love the poor is to sponsor a child who is living in poverty.
» There are children around the world who are living in poverty and one way that we can help
them is through child sponsorship programs like the one oered by World Vision.
» Sponsoring a child is a long-term, serious commitment that your amily, class or church
undertakes. You decide to sponsor a boy or a girl rom one o the many countries in theworld where sponsorship is oered. When you become a sponsor, you will get a picture o
your child and inormation about him or her.
» Your monthly sponsorship contribution is used to help und programs in the community
» The money helps build a stronger community or your sponsored child.
» He or she may benet rom increased access to clean water, education, and healthcare, or his
or her parents may receive training to start a new business or grow better crops to provide ortheir amily.
» Whatever the projects are, your sponsorship will give hope to a child, and help him or her to
live a ull, healthy lie.
show The "The sponsorship difference" slideshow 2 reading the ollowing
caption with each slide.
» slide 1: educaTion – Many amilies around the world do not have enough money
to meet their daily needs, let alone send their children to school. So, children oten miss schoo
because parents cannot aord simple things like school ees or uniorms, or even pencils and
paper. And, children must oten stay home to help their parents work in the elds. Someamilies do not realize the importance o education, especially or girls. Depending on what
the amilies and community needs, the money sponsors send may help to raise awareness on
the importance o education, or help parents receive agricultural or business training so they
can earn more money and send their children to school. In some cases, the money may even
help provide school materials or improved school buildings or acilities.
» slide 2: healThcare – Many poor communities do not have a hospital or health
clinic. World Vision helps communities so they have access to medicine, places to go or
medical services.
» slide 3: food
– World Vision gives agricultural assistance to improve health and oodsecurity. Communities learn new arming techniques, start growing new crops, and are
educated about good nutrition. World Vision may also supply arming tools, seeds and
animals. Many children today do not have enough to eat, and many have died because
their bodies don’t get the necessary nutrition. World Vision helps make sure that children
do not go hungry. With help getting started, communities can grow enough ood and have
enough animals o their own to continue without World Vision’s help.
» slide 4: clean waTer – Clean water is important or our health and necessary
or activities like washing clothes, watering crops, and keeping clean, healthy bathrooms.
Many children and adults become very sick because they don’t have clean water to drink.
When people do not have water at home or there is no community well, they spend hours
each day walking to get water or their amily. To help, World Vision provides communitieswith what they need to build wells or clean water and improved sanitation.
» slide 5: and more… - When a child is sponsored through World Vision, the sponsor
and the child get to send each other letters like the one the boy is holding in the picture. The
sponsor also receives a photo o the child they are sponsoring and can send him or her their
own photo, too! World Vision also helps amilies make improvements in their home or take
out loans to start a business. Children and their amilies see Jesus in the commitment we
make to helping them. In some countries, World Vision cannot openly share its aith, but
many people come to know Jesus by our actions o love and service.
divide The parTicipanTs into groups o our or ve. Provide each group with one o the
stories ound on resource 3 “Sponsorship Stories”. Invite the groups to read their assigned story.
afTer The small groups have had time to read their story, ask one person rom each
group to come to the ront o the room and give a brie summary o the story and show where the
child in the story lives by noting the location on the map.
explain To The parTicipanTs that in addition to helping their sponsored child through
monthly giving, they will have the opportunity to write letters to the child and build a relationship
with him or her.
show The "sponsorship rachael" video.
ask The parTicipanTs to raise their hand i they have ever received a letter in the mail. Call
on a ew o the participants and ask them to share who sent them the letter and how it made them
eel to receive a letter in the mail.
read aloud the sample letter.
discuss what the participants learned about the child.
ask The parTicipanTs what they would write to a boy or girl in a poor country. What
questions would they ask? What would they want to tell the child?
read The following scripTure to the children and explain the parable o the mustard
seed. They each should have the seed they received at the beginning o the lesson.
“He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom o heaven is like a mustard seed, which a mantook and planted in his feld. Though it is the smallest o all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is
the largest o garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds o the air come and perch in its
branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32.)
Explain that even with the smallest acts o kindness, God can perorm big miracles. Explain
how participants' amilies or the group’s small contribution every month will make a big
To conclude The lesson, lead a prayer in which the participants have the opportunityto pray aloud as well. Pray that God would give us the ability and willingness to be generous to the
poor and remember them in our actions and thoughts. Pray that God would provide sponsors or
the children who are waiting and bless children and amilies living in poverty around the world.
urge The parTicipanTs to continue to pray or the children who live in the country they
received at the beginning o the lesson. Also ask them to pray that God would do big things with the
little seeds o generosity that we plant.
disTriBuTe The handouT "The Basics of sponsorship" to participants orthem to share with their parents or group.
Anila, 11, lives in Qukes commune, about two hours southeast o Tirana, the capital o Albania.
The Librazhd area development program, through which Anila is sponsored, is in Qukes.
Growing up in poverty in rural Albania, in a male dominated society, the odds are low that someone
other than her mother would encourage Anila to pursue her dreams and compliment her talents.
However, sponsorship has brought new hope or Anila and her siblings; they now have a riend who
believes in them.
Anila has had regular correspondence with her sponsor or more than a year. She has received 14
letters so ar which she has memorized by heart. The letters rom her sponsor are the window to a
whole new world; they are the source o her encouragement and strength. They have made Anila
more determined to pursue her goals. Though she has to venture out walking the village roads
that are covered in snow most o the winter, Anila attends school aithully because she now has a
dream.
“When I grow up, I want to be an English teacher,” said Anila.
“When she received her rst letter, my daughter was truly puzzled that someone rom so ar away
could write so lovingly to her. Now, they have developed a great relationship with each other, andmy daughter loves to write to her sponsor,” said Anila’s mother, Mirjeta.
Anila is so ond and proud o her riend that she wants to share her letters with everyone who visits.
The letters are truly beautiul. They are lled with love, concern and encouragement or the little girl.
Anila’s eyes shine with joy as she starts reading one o the letters, "My dear beautiul daughter …"
the letter starts, …"I am amazed at how beautiul your writing is, you should continue writing, I
am sure you can be a talented writer…," continued the letter. Letter ater letter the relationship has
become so strong that Anila no longer reers to her sponsor as a riend but as her Korean mother.
“I have two sisters and a brother,” she said, reerring to the son o her sponsor. “And I have two
mothers, my mother here in Albania and my Korean mother,” she continued.
“In the beginning it was hard to get used to the idea that my daughter would call someone else
halway across the world, mother, but then seeing the love her sponsor elt or Anila and seeing the
joy and encouragement my daughter got with each letter, I eel more comortable,” said Mirjeta.
“My biggest dream now is to meet my Korean mom, her husband and my little brother,” said Anila
“In all o her letters, my Korean mom, tells me that she loves me, and she always encourages me,”
said Anila. “I love my sponsor very, very much, too.”
Anila’s sponsor’s generosity goes beyond encouragement and love shared through letters. Anila’s
amily has also received small gits and sometimes additional monetary support, helping the amily
through dicult times.
“I am so grateul or all that the sponsor has done or us,” said Mirjeta. “All o the school supplies
or Anila and her sisters I purchased with the money sent rom her sponsor. That’s a great help or
us,” she continued.
“The support my daughter’s sponsor has given to us is not only helpul, but it is also a true sign o
their care or our amily,” added Mirjeta. “However, the biggest git or our amily would be i thesponsor comes to visit us; I know this will mean the world to my daughter.”
“I wish they knew what a great dierence they have made in our lives,” said Mirjeta.
through a winding path in the mountains. Hewakes up each morning at 5 to nish his chores
and begin the long walk to school. Abduraman does not seem to mind, though – his wish to go to
school came true this year.
“None o the children went to school beore. Abduraman was very sad that his riends went to
school and he was let at home,” recalls his mother, Sadya Mume. “I was not able to buy the books
or school. The only thing we could do was eed them.”
Food prices or the local staple grain, te, have doubled in the past year alone, orcing many
amilies to choose between eeding their children and paying or school ees. Exacerbating the price
o ood has been the ailure o rains in the past season. Currently, more than 4.2 million people in
Ethiopia are estimated to be in need o ood assistance. Abduraman’s amily, with little to no harvestrom their own elds this year, struggled with the same choice.
“We have a small plot or our amily but it’s not enough or us to eat,” laments Sadya. “There is not
enough income. I know the importance o school or my boys and my girl, but it was just the books
and pens I needed so that they could go.”
A recent assessment by World Vision showed that no more than 50 percent o the children in this
area have a chance to go to school. Girls are oten less likely to go to school, and even i they do,
their enrollment tends to decrease as the grade levels increase. Many girls are pulled rom school to
help at home with younger siblings, or stop their education because the long walks to school make
them vulnerable to abductions or sexual predators as they get older.
Twelve-year-old Matua, Abduraman’s older sister, had also never been to school. “When I saw my
riends going to school, I kept asking mysel, 'when will I get the chance?' I elt very lonely.”
Although World Vision’s program in this area o Ethiopia is only one year old, it has already had
a great impact on Abduraman’s amily and their ability to go to school. As one o 1,500 children
sponsored by World Vision in this area, Abduraman received school books and supplies so that he,
his older brother and sister could all start school together or the rst time this year.
“When he heard he could go to school, he started crying because he was so happy. We were all
crying,” says Sadya. “I was really worried and scared that maybe he would become a thie or a
criminal in the uture, but I am ree o that ear now.”
As he begins to put his books away, Abduraman, a small-ramed but excitable little boy, beams
when asked how he eels about school. “My avorite subject is science. I want to be a doctor,” he
exclaims. “Maybe I will treat you when you get older.” He laughs, amused by his own statement.
Matua giggles beside him.
World Vision is committed to Abduraman’s amily and plans to distribute seeds to the amily in
the coming months so that they can reclaim part o their lost harvest. Abduraman’s school has alsoreceived new benches and desks so that now the students do not have to sit on the foor anymore.
Moving outside, Matua sits under a tree and begins to sing to hersel. The sun’s rays shine through
the leaves o the tree that she’s sitting under while her brother plays with his riends. Their mother
looks on proudly, content that even though lie may still be dicult, her children can now build a
Through the sponsorship program, Mory has been receiving gits rom World Vision including
exercise books, pens, and pencils. She is also uses the desks that the organization donated to her
school a couple o years ago.
On her way home rom school, Mory etches some grass to eed her ve goats. In 2006, Mory
was among 200 children rom villages within Namachete ADP who received goats rom World
Vision.
“I received one goat and the number has increased to ve. As a amily we agreed not to slaughter
the goats or sale until the time I reach high school. My school ees will be realized rom these
goats,” explains an excited young girl.
Mory’s mother has joined her riends who, established a home economics group through World
Vision, and are involved in sewing and cooking.
“We call ourselves Chisekwele Women's Group. We meet three times in a week. Members o thegroup help each other with modern skills o cooking, sewing, and preserving ood,” explains
Aida, whose group’s membership has increased rom 15 to 36 since its inception in 2003. Seeing
their commitment, World Vision decided to provide some training and equipment to the women.
“Through this group, nutrition in our homes has tremendously improved. As I am talking to you,
I am able to make things that I perceived to be dicult; or example, jam, coee, milk, scones,
and chips made rom processed cassava,” says Aida.
During her ree time, Mory joins Luna, her best riend, and some girls rom the nearby houses.
They play with a ball that they made rom plastic papers and ropes.
The amily normally goes to sleep at 8 p.m. night ater having a Bible study or preaching o theWord o God. They make sure that all belongings, including goats, are locked up saely at night.
Irina’s home shakes with the pouring rain andstrong wind, but she does not seem to mind.
Such heavy rain is common at this time o
the year. What could be considered a deluge
elsewhere is normal weather or Irina. She lives
at home with her parents and her 26-year-old
brother. On week day mornings, she attends
school, and in the aternoons, she plays with
her dog Diana, her company on those rainy
days.
Irina lives in the Commune o Alto Bio Bio, a
mountain community o scattered dwellingsand tiny villages with no more than 7,000
inhabitants, most o whom are indigenous Mapuche people. Irina and her amily are “settlers”
as the Mapuche call the non-indigenous Chileans who live in the area. Irina’s home is a wooden
house built by her ather and is located in Ralco, a small village where the settlers o the valley
concentrate.
A shy girl, Irina has no problem talking about the things she likes. At home, she goes around with
a small handbag where she keeps the letters and pictures o Aunt Nancy, as she calls her sponsor.
“She writes to me and she tells me that she has nine children and a dog called Eddy,” says Irina
happily. What ascinates Irina about her sponsor is her love o animals – Nancy raises birds to set
them ree.
“My sponsor tells me that she always prays or me, this is why I love her so much, and I would
like to meet her some day.”
Irina attends ourth grade in the primary school o Ralco, where the majority o children are
sponsored through World Vision. Since she has been sponsored, the project has given her all the
necessary school stationary to attend classes and she has been participating in the activities World
Vision organizes in the schools o this area. These activities include early stimulation courses,
workshops on prevention o amily violence and activities aimed at keeping and rescuing the
cultural identity o the Mapuche people.
The rain does not stop in Alto Bio Bio and Irina, once more, is reading the letters that her sponsorhas sent her. Her avorites are the ones “o the doggie” – which contains news o Eddy, the dog.
These letters show wear and tear because they are read over and over. Irina carries them with her
at all times and reads them whenever she wants and never looses the hope o meeting her aunt