Never Too Young to be a Child Sponsor

11 Jan 2018 - 6:58pm

How the child sponsorship journey started

Most people take up child sponsorship when they have an income and want to help the needy. Ryan became a sponsor when he was just 7.

For his 7^th birthday party, his parents asked the guests not to buy gifts, but to help contribute to a fund for Ryan to sponsor a child with World Vision. With the money collected, Ryan sponsored his first child from Lesotho.

Now, 13, he is one of the youngest trippers to visit Yaozhou, China to meet his sponsored child.

“We went up to one of the mountains of the vulnerable families, we saw how life was like up there. This just shows me how fortunate I am to be born in a city like Singapore”

Besides learning about the needs of the children in the area, in the trip, he also had the opportunity to teach English to a class of primary school children.

Meeting the sponsored child

The meeting with the sponsored child was awkward a first but they soon bonded over some games. The mother of the sponsored child also met with Ryan’s families.

“I hope I can write letters to him and he will write back, which can improve our friendship – and my Chinese,” says Ryan.

He does not view child sponsorship as merely an act of providing money but also to know more about the children he is helping.

The trip enlightened him further as he mentions that “If more people sponsor the kids, I think it will actually impact the children’s lives, like help improve school quality.” This drove him and his family to sponsor yet another child in Yaozhou.

Eager to share what they have experienced with others, Ryan and his mother also volunteered at the World Vision’s booth at shopping malls during the Christmas season.

The meaningful birthday present he received when he was 7 is indeed a gift that keeps giving.

Hear what he says about the trip in the video below: