Every day, women and girls across the globe confront countless hurdles in their efforts to improve their lives. Traditional gender roles fuel the notion that girls are expected to fulfill domestic responsibilities like caring for younger siblings, performing household chores, accessing clean water for the family, etc. In fact, a global study from UNICEF* found that, in 70 percent of homes lacking access to water on the premises, women and girls are the ones responsible for collecting it.
These gender-based obstacles, along with many others, often leave girls further at risk, with less time to pursue academics and other vital avenues of empowerment.
Through Children International, you don’t just sponsor a girl to go to school. Your monthly gift helps her build a brighter tomorrow, providing her with life-changing benefits and proven programs, including access to safe spaces, supportive mentorships, and a proven path to help her envision — and build — a future free from poverty.
As part of your sponsorship journey, you’ll also see your impact firsthand through letters and photos from your sponsored girl. Use the search tool to find a special girl waiting for you.
Questions? Call 1-800-888-3089, chat or send us an email. View more options.
12 million girls
(under 18) get married every year*
Our education, life-skills and empowerment programs give girls alternate paths to independence.
nearly 1 in 3
report physical or sexual abuse - women 15 and older*
Our extensive Child Safety Protocols help keep all children safe, and staff and volunteers are trained to recognize and stop abuse and exploitation.
Almost 1 in 6
young women give birth before age 18.*
Adolescent health education and services provide the knowledge and resources teens need to make informed decisions and to stay healthy.
500+ million
female adults
are illiterate.*
Nearly two-thirds of illiterate adults are women. Interventions like tutoring assistance, access to libraries, computer labs and more, help ensure girls learn to read, write and stay in school.
Gender disparities in health, education, economic opportunity and political representation remain frustratingly persistent. In alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #5, our holistic programs promote gender equality and strive to empower all women and girls.
Through our programs, Children International works to achieve these goals:
Child sponsorship connects two people — a sponsor with a generous heart and a child living in poverty. From toddlerhood to young adulthood, our child and youth development program equips kids with crucial life and job skills to break the cycle of poverty. For good.
At Children International, we believe every child deserves the chance to thrive. And with support from caring individuals and philanthropic organizations, young people around the world are unlocking their potential. As they get older, they gain vital life skills and explore future career paths that help them pursue meaningful work and path out of poverty.
Your role as a sponsor and friend in your child’s life makes all this possible — and lets them know they are not alone in their fight for a better future.
*Tax-deductible
Your support as a sponsor provides a girl or young woman who is living in poverty the mentorship, skills, education and confidence she needs to achieve her goals. Through our community-based initiatives and programming, girls can rewrite their stories, empower their families and give back to the whole community.
Your support provides your sponsored child with access to life-changing benefits through our innovative, holistic approach, such as medical and mental wellness care, empowerment initiatives, education programs, and more. The interventions you make possible are focused on giving children the support and tools they need to be healthy, stay in school, graduate with the skills needed to pursue meaningful work, and create lasting change in their community.
Ensuring young girls stay healthy, safe and in school is just the beginning of their journey with us. Achieving the milestones they should at each stage of development — as well as the individual goals they have for themselves — is an ongoing venture.
The global community has certainly made significant progress in advancing women’s rights throughout the last century. Recent progress, as noted by the United Nations, includes 99 positive legal reforms enacted between 2019 and 2024, removing discriminatory laws and establishing frameworks for gender equality. Child marriage has declined in recent years, and representation of women in political spheres has never been higher.*
At Children International, we recognize that much more needs to be done to close the existing gaps in gender equity. Globally, for example, women comprise less than 28% of national seats in parliaments.*
Through our empowerment programs, we prepare the next generation of women to take on leadership positions. Both boys and girls are mentored to know their rights and to respect others. And all children, regardless of gender, need hope, encouragement and confidence to see opportunities for themselves beyond their current circumstances.
In many impoverished communities, children have never seen an example of a person or a family pulling themselves out of poverty. They simply can’t imagine it. That’s why it’s crucial to give children the tools to create lasting change in their life and the opportunities to lead their family out of poverty. Our programs foster social responsibility through leadership, life skills and employment training workshops so children are empowered to make an impact for the next generation.
Children International is proud to support children, families and communities in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines and Zambia.
82% of Children International’s total operating expenses fund programs for children and youth. So, the majority most of your donation dollars go toward exactly what you intended — supporting children in poverty.
Child sponsorship is a voluntary, ongoing contribution you can cancel at any time — you’re in charge of how long you sponsor (and how many kids you sponsor).
You can change your monthly giving anytime by contacting our Care Team. Your child will continue receiving program benefits, and we’ll find another sponsor as soon as possible.
Children International is a global child and youth development organization working to end poverty for good. Headquartered in Kansas City, we serve 218,000+ children across 10 countries, creating lasting change that helps them reach their full potential.
Ending poverty begins with children. That’s why we invest in programs for children and youth throughout their first two decades of life — strengthening communities through local staff, education and health access, empowerment, career readiness, and partnerships that help families break the cycle of generational poverty.
If you recently attended a concert and received a child packet, you were provided with a code that you can use to begin sponsoring that child. Please click here to go to children.org/start and enter your code.
I’m only one person and there’s only so much I can do. But I can do something. You don’t have to be a millionaire. You don’t have to be able to do huge things [ … ] to make a really huge difference for a child.”
