Inside the World of
Child Sponsorship
Many Canadians do it. But how
does child sponsorship really
work? And why have Canadians
embraced it? Faith Today
explores one of our favourite
ways of doing charity
By Alex Newman
A
s children’s birthday parties go,
Benjamin Marsh’s fifth was pretty
typical – cake, ice cream, balloons
and games – until his dad, David,
pulled an envelope out of the small pile
of presents. In it were details about an-
other boy celebrating his fifth birthday in
far away Colombia, South America.
This ritual occurs every time one of
the Marsh children, from Port Robinson,
Ont., turns five. It is a concerted effort by
their parents to inspire a “spirit of gen-
erosity, gratitude for their privileged life
here and exposure to other cultures.”
But for the kids, it’s mostly fun.
Eight-year-old Timothy likes the letters
and pictures that pass between him and
his Colombian friend Jose. And Emily, at
nine, is old enough to feel sad about the
poverty but glad for the chance to “do
something” about it.
Beside each of their beds hangs the
picture of their sponsored child (the family sponsors three, and each Marsh child
has a special connection with one)whom
they “try to pray for nightly. And apparently they pray for us,” says mom Anna.
To enhance the connection, she incorporates incidents from her child’s life into
this clean water pump in tamale,
ghana was provided by Christian
Children’s fund of Canada.
