The history of child sponsorship
Child sponsorship is a popular and effective way to support global projects that improve the lives of children in need. Perhaps you have seen advertisements or flyers from organizations such as World Vision, Compassion International, Save the Children or here from Nofam and our partners, inviting you to sponsor a child for a monthly or annual donation. Perhaps you have sponsored a child yourself, or know someone who has. But do you know where this idea of child sponsorship comes from, and how it has changed over time?
Child sponsorship is not so much a modern "invention," but has a long and fascinating history that spans more than two centuries. The first child sponsorship programs were not set up by large humanitarian organizations, but by Protestant missionaries who wanted to spread their faith around the world.
In an article published in Historical Research, anthropologist and historian of Christianity in North America, Hillary Kaell, explores the origin and development of child sponsorship over a period from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. She shows how child sponsorship arises from mission networks of Protestant believers, who combined new ideas about saving children with the 'shareholder system' of early capitalism. Additionally, she illustrates how child sponsorship engaged broader Christianity in humanitarian efforts while simultaneously creating new opportunities in the early years of the 20th century.
According to Kaell, the first viable child sponsorship programs emerged in the early nineteenth century when Protestant missionaries in India, Africa, and the Pacific began recruiting local children to attend their schools and learn their religion. These missionaries faced many challenges, such as lack of funds, resistance from local authorities and parents, and high mortality rates among the children. To overcome these obstacles, they appealed to donors in Europe and North America, who were eager to participate in the worldwide spread of Christianity.
The missionaries offered donors the opportunity to sponsor a specific child by paying for their education, clothing, and healthcare. In return, the donors received letters, photos, and reports from the child and the missionary, creating a personal bond and a sense of "ownership". The donors also received spiritual rewards, such as prayers from the child and the assurance of saving a soul from eternal damnation.
According to Kaell, these child sponsorship programs were influenced by two key factors: new evangelical ideas about saving children and the 'shareholder system' of early capitalism. In the 18th century, the evangelical revival emphasized the importance of converting children at a young age, to protect them from sin and worldly influences. The missionaries believed that by sponsoring a child, they could save the child from paganism and prepare them for a heavenly life. The 'shareholder system' was a way to raise money for commercial projects by selling shares to investors. The missionaries applied this system to their religious projects by selling shares in spiritual engagement in the sponsored children. Donors became, as it were, co-owners in saving the child.
Kaell shows that this sponsorship model was successful in attracting donors and expanding mission work throughout the 19th century. However, there were also criticisms and competition from other forms of fundraising and philanthropy. Some critics argued that sponsorship exploited and patronized children, treating them as commodities rather than individuals. Others found sponsorship inefficient and ineffective, as it diverted resources from more urgent needs and created dependency instead of development. In response to these challenges, some missionaries adapted their sponsorship models to make them more attractive and ethical. They offered more flexibility and choices to donors and children, such as being able to choose the gender, age or location of the sponsored child, or giving the child the freedom to determine their own name and future. They also emphasized the benefits of sponsorship for both parties, such as mutual learning, cultural exchange, and friendship.
Child Sponsorship in the 20th Century
In the early 20th century, sponsorship became a commonly used technique for fundraising and advocacy in various religious and secular organizations. An important example of this was the Save the Children Fund (S.C.F.), founded in 1919 after World War I to help children in Eastern Europe. The S.C.F. used sponsorship to garner support for humanitarian appeals by mobilizing 'non-sectarian' Christianity, while also targeting new demographics. In contrast to earlier mission models that focused on individual conversion and education, the S.C.F. focused on collective aid and reconstruction. The S.C.F. used mass media and celebrity support to reach a broader audience and generate more donations.
Kaell argues that the sponsorship model of the S.C.F. wasn't entirely original or innovative, but it built upon earlier mission models while adapting to new contexts and target groups. She also emphasizes that sponsorship didn't disappear or decrease after World War II, as some historians have suggested, but rather continued to evolve and grow with new organizations like World Vision (founded in 1950), which is now the world's largest child sponsorship organization.
Kaell's article offers fascinating insights into the history of child sponsorship, a fundraising tool that has raised billions of dollars for global projects over the past two centuries. She shows that child sponsorship originated in trans-Atlantic missionary networks, where new ideas about saving children were combined with the 'shareholder system' of early capitalism. In addition, she illuminates how child sponsorship exploited 'non-sectarian' Christianity to garner support for humanitarian appeals while simultaneously opening new markets at the beginning of the twentieth century.
If you want to learn more about the history of child sponsorship, you can read Kaell's article here:
The long history of child sponsorship, c. 1700–1950 - Oxford Academic.
If you want to sponsor a child yourself, or want to know more about the organizations that offer this opportunity, you can visit their websites here:
At Nofam, we believe that child sponsorship is a powerful way to make a difference in the world. Believing in small and local impact, we collaborate with smaller charities for whom the digital step might be too large and challenging. In this way, we ensure that they don't miss the crucial connection to the future of child sponsorship.
That's why we developed a digital platform (app and website) to support these charities. Through the Nofam child sponsorship platform, you can easily and securely sponsor a child at one of our partner organizations and keep in touch with your sponsored child through photos, videos, and messages. You can also learn more about the projects your donation makes possible and see how your sponsorship contributes to the development of the child and his or her community.
Would you like to know more about child sponsorship or how Nofam can assist your organization? We cordially invite you to get in touch with us. Together, we can achieve more!