Does giving gifts to your sponsored child make a difference?

When you give a gift through Tearfund, you can be sure your money is being wisely, thoughtfully and strategically spent to meet the needs of your sponsored child’s family. That sounds great, doesn’t it? But what does it mean?

Instead of giving the money directly to the family, local staff from Tearfund's partner, Compassion, help the family identify the best way to use your gift. Together, they select a gift that will provide long-term, life-changing solutions.

What kind of gifts can I send?
 

There are a few options for sending a monetary gift.

1.  A birthday gift for the child you sponsor. When you send a gift, the child and their family decide together what to purchase.

2.  A general gift can be sent to your sponsor child for any reason. It can be used by the child or family to purchase what is needed at the time.

3.  A Christmas gift can be used to celebrate and bless your sponsor child and their family.

It's important to note that packages should not be sent. In most cases, the cost of shipping and customs would exceed the value of the gift. There is also a high risk of theft or loss of the package en route.

Compassion’s sponsor child, Mario and his mother, Soylita, read Mario’s sponsor letter in their backyard.

Reasons to give a gift?

The simplest answer is that it blesses the child and their family, and it is a way to meet the needs in their lives. Sending monetary gifts to the children you sponsor can mean new outfits, their first pair of shoes, or the beginning of an income-generating business for the family.

An incredible story of a gift that changed a sponsor child’s life is seven-year-old Mario from Peru. Mario is the youngest of three children, who live in a small rented house with their parents. Even before the pandemic, Mario’s parents were struggling to support their family of five. One day, Mario was playing soccer with his older brother when he noticed his tutor and the Compassion Centre director approaching his house with a list in their hands and big smiles on their faces.

Little did Mario and his family know; they were about to hear the most exciting news they’d heard in a long time. Mario’s sponsor had sent a financial gift to him, leaving his family incredibly excited, and equally dumbfounded.

Mario (left) and his brother, Job (right) lie grinning on their new bed.

“My husband hasn’t been making much money since the pandemic started. Prices for everything have gone up...Life has been tough. This is a huge help for our family,” says Mario’s mother, Soylita.

Mario, his mother and his tutor arranged a day to buy what he needed with the financial gift from his sponsor. As they were buying things for Mario that day, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Nobody has ever bought me so much. Is it all for me?”

Thanks to the generous gift from Mario’s sponsor, his Compassion Centre bought him a bed, mattress, bedcover, closet, plastic drawers, school and cleaning supplies, a dish rack, an ironing board, shoes, clothes, and lots of groceries. Mario and his family are beyond grateful and continue to see the goodness of God manifested in their lives through his Compassion Centre and Mario's generous sponsor.

Mario’s story is just one of many about sponsored children whose lives have been changed by a gift.

If you’d like to give a gift to your sponsor child
 

Click here