East Africa (MNN) — Operated by many Christian ministries worldwide, child sponsorship programs offer spiritual hope and tangible help to impoverished children. Sponsors, often in the West, pay a monthly stipend that covers the cost of a child’s education and Christian discipleship.
Child sponsorship is also a great way to connect kids in the West with children overseas, but sometimes key details get lost.
For example, several years ago, “my parents said, ‘Oh, we’re going to sponsor a child through Set Free, and she’s going to be your new sister,’” Set Free’s Zippora Benting says.
“A week later, when my new sister had not arrived, I was disappointed. I’d picked out names and where she was going to sleep.”
Disappointment soon led to friendship as the “pen pal sisters” exchanged letters. “We were similar ages, and I had photos of her that I would pray for her every single night,” Benting recalls.
Then, Benting got to meet her “pen pal sister” in person in 2022. “It was just like this overwhelming, magical moment that I never thought that I’d be able to have. Our relationship up until that point was just letters,” she recalls.
Today, Benting leads Set Free’s child sponsorship program. “It’s such a rewarding process,” she says of the program.
“It’s more than just a check every month.”
Benting hopes her experience will encourage fellow believers to try sponsoring a child.
We love to listen to the students and hear about what they are learning in their spiritual and personal growth.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Set Free Global)
“We are moved to compassion a lot by the example of other people. To see other people’s compassion [for students] could be the spark for somebody else to help, and most of us have the means to do so,” Benting says.
Over 400 kids are waiting for a sponsor today. Consider supporting them here through Set Free.
“Their relationship with Christ is the first and foremost goal of the child sponsorship program, [to] let them know they are loved and have a heavenly Father,” Benting says.
“All of our sponsorships provide a child with a Christian education. They’re getting fed two meals a day. They get the school uniforms, the scholastic materials, like pens and paper, and all their books.”
Header and story images courtesy of Set Free Global.
