A Hopeful Future: Life After Child Sponsorship

Each year, between 50 and 70 thousand young people graduate from the Compassion Child Sponsorship Program and continue into adulthood with the skills, knowledge and hope to live a life free from poverty. Over five thousand of these graduates are sponsored through Compassion Australia.

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12 Sep, 2024

Although this step out of the Compassion program may seem daunting, these young people have been well prepared for this moment—and they are not abandoned. Most will still be living in the communities where the local church has known, loved and protected them throughout their childhood. And the church will continue to be there for them as they face the many challenges and joys of early adulthood.

A Parent’s Dream

We all want what is best for our children. For parents who live in extreme poverty, it is no different. They would love their children to be physically healthy, have a good education leading to economic stability, and enjoy loving relationships throughout their lives.

But it’s often too hard for them to imagine that their children will be released from the debilitating poverty that has gripped their family for generation upon generation. Parents are worn down by the relentless hopelessness of extreme poverty and the most they dare to dream for their children is that they will survive to adulthood.

With Compassion’s help, their local church can deliver the holistic child development program that assembles the building blocks for a better future for each child. Their parents can dream again of all that their children can become, as they witness God’s love in action.

Yuliana lives on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. After she was abandoned by her husband, she struggled to raise three children by herself. She came to an important realisation: “I don’t want my daughters to live this way.”

So, when she heard that the local church had partnered with Compassion to open a child development centre, Yuliana registered her daughters in the program. The girls were able to attend school, receive medical assistance, develop social skills and hear about the love of Jesus.

“I am so grateful that my daughters are registered at the Compassion centre. I have hope for them because I’m not alone in working to provide them a bright future,” says Yuliana.

The Way They Should Go

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.—Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

The path out of poverty looks different for each child, but the goal for every young person in Compassion’s program remains the same: good health, good skills, good relationships—and the opportunity to hear the Good News.

As the children develop, they become more independent and learn to make wise choices. From 12 years old, each young person in the program begins planning for life after graduation. Each year, they write their future hopes and goals in a booklet called My Plan for Tomorrow and, with the help of Compassion staff, carefully shape a plan to achieve those goals.

No matter what path they choose, the love and support of their local church and their sponsors has prepared them well for a hopeful future.

With his father in jail and his mother having abandoned him, Francisco was spiraling into the same life as those surrounding him—poverty, drugs and street gangs seemed to be his only possible future. As a final gift before she left him in the care of his great-grandfather, Francisco’s mother registered him in the Child Sponsorship Program at their local church.

At first he wasn’t interested in participating, but his tutor from the child development centre searched him out and encouraged him to continue in the program. Francisco and his great-grandfather were surrounded by a team of people who helped him to keep moving forward.

This year, Francisco will graduate from university as a technologist—the first member of his family to have a white-collar job. “It makes a big difference having someone there beside you, saying, ‘You don’t have to live like those around you. You can overcome your circumstances, and you can accomplish your goals and dreams,’” Francisco says.

A Time for Independence

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens —Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

There comes a time when the holistic child development program has completed its work and it’s important for the young person to pursue a more independent life. It is time for them to graduate from the Child Sponsorship Program.

The normal age at which young people graduate varies between the countries where we work. In Africa, children usually stay in the program until they are 22. In Asia, most are ready to leave at 20 years old. However, in the Central and South American countries, the age varies between 18 years and 22 years. Even so, some young people may be ready to become independent at an earlier age and others may need to stay longer to continue receiving support as they finish their education. Our local church partners consider the individual needs of the young people under their care and together make informed decisions about the best time for each participant to finish.

What Happens Next

Life beyond the Child Sponsorship Program is a new and exciting journey for graduates. They pursue their dreams and face new challenges, such as the search for work, continuing study or beginning a family. They take with them the practical, socio-emotional and intellectual skills they have learned. Importantly, they have been given the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel message, as well as witness the transforming impact of the local church in their life.

Life after graduation will look different for each sponsored child. Many graduates seek employment, having planned and studied during their time in the program to achieve a role suited to their skills and aspirations.

Some will continue to be involved in their child development centre as a volunteer or even as a paid staff member. The church-based nature of Compassion’s programs means that a former sponsored child can choose to remain connected to a support network of people within their congregation.

Your Contribution to a Hopeful Future

Imagine the joy of helping a young person find a future full of hope where once there was none! That is what it is like to sponsor a child through Compassion Australia. Take the step today to help see a child released from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Sponsor a Child

Written by Vivienne Hughes, Compassion Australia, with local reporting by Vera Aurima, Compassion Indonesia, and Lina Marcela Alarcón Melina, Compassion Colombia.