A brief chat with Anna Mae, a former ChildFund sponsored child

For most child sponsors, the biggest reward is watching their sponsored child grow up healthy, happy, and able to transform their own community.

One of the ways ChildFund supporters know their donations are making a difference is because of the regular child updates and stories from the countries where we work. Our blog stories, our email newsletters, and our reports give sponsors the confidence to know that we are making the most of their generous support. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we met up with Anna Mae, a 26-year-old young adult who was a former ChildFund sponsored child. Now a teacher, Anna Mae told us a bit about her experience as a sponsored child and how her life has changed, thanks to someone who cared enough to sponsor her.

"To my sponsor, I want to thank you for sponsoring me. I hope you are proud of who I am right now, and I hope to see you some day."

Anna Mae brought out a small tin box with letters and cards from her former sponsor. "Her letters inspired me to work hard. She sends me letters about their life, asking me how are we, my family and myself. How are my studies? So, it’s like, when she sent me those letters, I need to give her a good answer. I need to tell her stories that will amaze her, so she feels she’s lucky to have me as a sponsored child… It motivates me to do better."

It's clear that child sponsorship had a profound impact on Anna Mae's life. We wanted to know what stood out to her as an important part of the ChildFund programme.

"The programmes and projects of ChildFund focus on the rights of the child. With the continuous training of ChildFund, I became aware of my rights as a child…. your right to live, to play, to be educated, to live in a community where you feel secure."

“I think a child not enrolled in the program of ChildFund faces danger in terms of their security, because they don’t know their rights as a child. They don’t know that they have the right to be educated, to be sent.to school, or to have a good family. I know this because there are children here that were battered by. their parents. And they don’t have anything to eat. So, that’s the danger of not being part of the ChildFund programme.

“Although I am now a teacher I’m still part of the ChildFund family… Every time that the community is asking for help, I am always on the go, or one call away to help them."

You too can help children like Anna Mae through monthly giving.

One of the best ways you can create long-lasting community change is through monthly giving. By sponsoring a child, you not only provide a community in need with generous support, but you're also able to see your donations make a difference by watching as the child you sponsor grows up educated, healthy, and happy.

Only you can know if child sponsorship is right for you but, if you're anything like the 13,000+ New Zealanders who joyfully support children through ChildFund, you won't regret it.