Sponsor a Child
Child sponsorship is the backbone of the Mercy in Action Schooling Programme. It makes a huge difference, not just to the child, but to their whole family.
We are always in need of more sponsors to enable us to enroll even more children into education. For just £18 a month (only 60p a day) you can transform the life of a child in the Philippines through education, healthy food and the knowledge that someone is invested in them and wants them to succeed.
Your £18 a month will ensure your sponsor child has all their schooling needs met, including:
Your sponsorship will also enable us to assist with housing, medical and community needs as they arise. You will receive:
You will also have the chance to send cards or gifts to your child at Christmas or on their birthday if you wish, although this is in no way obligatory.
The easiest way to start sponsoring a child is by filling in the online form below. Alternatively, you can download and print our Standing Order Form, and post it back to us with your details. For more information about child sponsorship, please call 01761 439512 or email enquiries@mercyinaction.org.uk
Frequently Asked questions
+ How long does the sponsorship last?
Sponsorship works best for everyone of it’s seen as a long-term commitment. Ideally the sponsorship will continue until the child has completed their education, although you are free to cancel your sponsorship at any time.
+ How are the children selected for the sponsorship programme?
The schooling programme is specifically for the children who are unable to afford to go to school, or would otherwise be dropping out of school. We work with a number of schools in Cebu and ask them to put forward the names of the poorest children that attend their school. We also add the children who attend our drop-in centre to our schooling programme. Other children may be added to the programme through the recommendations of our social workers.
+ How much of my donation is spent on those living in poverty?
We are committed to ensuring that as much of our income as possible is sent to our projects in the Philippines, so we keep our overheads here in the UK as limited as workably possible. There are of admin overhead costs to running the child sponsorship scheme, but this is minimal and is covered by some of the income we receive from our charity shops, ensuring that the full £18 sponsorship can be sent directly to our schooling programme project in the Philippines!
+ How will I know I’m making a difference?
Every year you will receive an annual school report card from your sponsor child, along with a new photo and letter from them, as well as an update on the school sponsorship programme from Mercy in Action. The direct contact that you have with your sponsor child will allow you to see for yourself the difference your sponsorship is making to their life.
+ Can I visit my sponsor child?
Should you choose to travel to the Philippines on one of our team visits, we will do our utmost to arrange for you to meet your sponsor child! Many of our sponsors have had this opportunity during a visit to the Philippines and both sponsor and child have been delighted to have had the opportunity to meet each other.
SPONSOR TESTIMONIES
HEAR FROM ONE OF OUR SPONSORS
“We have been sponsoring children through Mercy in Action for several years. On a trip to the Philippines in 2012 we were fortunate enough to meet our sponsor child, Mary. It was great to meet her after years of sending gifts and receiving letters. She is in high school now and doing really well in her studies. It was wonderful to hear how the sponsorship had changed her life and given her the ambition to go to college and become a teacher.
On the same trip we met Samuel, aged 8, who was living rough on the streets with no one to care for him. He looked very dishevelled, dirty and sad with no future and no hope. After our return to the UK we heard that Samuel and his two brothers had been taken into the new MiA boys’ home. Shortly after this we became his sponsors. We now have photos of him smiling, washed, hair brushed and dressed in clean clothes and a little chubbier in the face! At first he was home tutored so he could catch up on those missing years of schooling. Now he goes to ‘proper’ school. Samuel seems to have caught up on his schooling really quickly and we were impressed with his last ‘thank you’ letter to us – neat handwriting and all! Samuel now has a home to call his own and hope for a better future. Well done Mercy in Action!”
HEAR FROM ONE OF OUR KIDS
I was only 10 years old and my friends were the ”supermix” boys who Mercy in Action were feeding. I came along with my cousin Lenlen because we were hungry too. In those days I didn’t go to school much and was behind for my age. I used to spend my time keeping an eye on people’s cars for them while they were shopping and I used the money they gave me for food or to pay for schooling needs. There were times that no-one took care of me. My aunty was always angry and my parents had no work. I never knew what it was like to have new clothes to wear or to know when my next meal was coming from…
I was so happy when I could go to school properly and then to go onto college was a dream come true. I graduated in Social Work in March this year and hope to take my board exams this June. I will then be a fully qualified social worker! In the meantime I’ve just managed to get a job as a shop assistant which means I can help my Mama and Papa and my sister to have a better life. Even a job in a shop isn’t possible without college education. Mercy in Action has done so much for me and I’m so happy and grateful for all that you’ve done, not just for me but for many of my friends too. It has been hard sometimes to keep going when so many others have given up, but I wanted my family to have a good future and for any children I may be blessed with to have a better life too. College was very hard work, but I loved learning how to help the poor and having the knowledge that I can help change other children’s lives too. I’ve just had my 24th birthday and I know my life is better than I ever thought it could be and that my days of being hungry and alone are over. Thank you again for everything.
God bless, love Joanna