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Mustakin with his parents

The Impact of Child Sponsorship: Meet 11-Year-Old Mustakin

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WRITTEN BY Angelica Leal

The Impact of Child Sponsorship

For child sponsors with Food for the Hungry (FH), the question of impact is often top of mind. When you sign up to become a sponsor, how do you know the impact of child sponsorship? How much do FH’s generous supporters really change the lives of those in extreme poverty?

Child sponsorship provides education and health-related support for an individual child. That’s a lot – but it does so much more.

It gives opportunities for the child’s whole family – and even their entire community – to work together toward a brighter future. That future can bring hope and security as a direct result of your help. Food for the Hungry works in many ways. Some of the greatest impact FH achieves is through incorporating the entire community as we work to help them graduate out of poverty. Together.

Meet Mustakin, an 11-year-old FH-sponsored child living in a community in Bangladesh.

Mustakin, a sponsor child from Bangladesh
Mustakin, 11, is an FH-sponsored child who lives in a community in Bangladesh.

Food Security

Mustakin lives with his mother, Seuly, and father, Masum. One of the most basic challenges families like theirs face is the ability to provide daily meals. The families also struggle throughout the year with a lack of adequate nutrition in the meals they do eat.

“Every year for three to four months, men cannot work in this region due to the rainy season,” explains Seuly. This negatively impacts the family in many ways. “In the beginning, it was so difficult for us to afford our meals. For this reason, we often went to bed without having food. We felt very helpless and thought there was no way to overcome this situations,” Seuly says.

Mustakin and family eating dinner together
Mustakin and his parents eating dinner together.

Children’s Education

Another concern for Mustakin is his need to go to school. Often, the only way to improve his situation is to have an education.  But families like Mustakin’s find it hard to both afford and make time for the needed classes. “It was hard enough for me to manage food for my family. Sending children to school was out of imagination when having food from one day to the next is the priority,” explains Seuly.

“I was frustrated that I could not meet my family’s needs as there was no work during the monsoon season. But I could not afford to pay for my child’s education.” Even when he was able to attend classes, Seuly says, Mustakin was unable to concentrate on his studies. “And most of the time, he was absent from school,” she adds.

Mustakin and mother studying together
Mustakin and his mother work on his studies.

How Does Child Sponsorship Help?

Through child sponsorships, Food for the Hungry works with the whole community. This includes conducting meetings, creating savings groups, offering training and providing helpful resources to those who have an interest in improving their living situation.

For example, Seuly chose to attend sewing, health and values lessons. At the end of the training, FH gave her a sewing machine, which helped her earn money so her family could afford nutritious food and pursue educational opportunities.

Mustakin's mother using the FH provided sewing machine to generate income.
The impact of child sponsorship extends to whole families. FH offered classes and provided a sewing machine for Mustakin’s mother when she completed the training. The new skill allows her to earn a much-needed income.

Their Success

“With the support of a sewing machine and training by FH, I can earn along with my husband,” Seuly says. “With the wages I earn, I meet family expenses.

“I hope other women will see me and bring prosperity to their families by earning along with their husbands. This can provide the necessary support to buy nutritious food and pay for their children’s education. My dream is that every child will go to school.”

Mustakin with his parents
Mustakin and his parents look forward to a brighter future.

It’s important to know that, when you choose to sponsor a child, you aren’t simply helping that child. You are positively impacting a family and their entire community’s work towards a better future. Consider sponsoring a child just like Mustakin. Your support really does make a difference, and the impact will be felt by everyone in the community.

“I wish that the organization may continue such work for the helpless and poor people in the community as it’s been doing now,” says Seuly.

Continue Reading

Seeds With a Big Impact: Gebeyanesh’s Story

Get to Know Raquel Muñoz: FH Leader in Child Sponsorship

The Legacy of An “Ordinary Guy” and an Extraordinary God

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Gift Policy:
You may send small, flat paper-based items that can fit into a standard #10 size envelope, have a value of less than $5 dollars and weigh less than 4 ounces. We ask that you send small, flat items of this size because shipping is expensive and even small gift items can cause issues clearing customs.

You can send postcards or photographs, however, we ask that you visit here for more details about culturally appropriate guidelines for photos and other images. Please write the child’s ID # on the back of each item that you enclose with your letter to ensure that it reaches him/her.
 
Best gifts to send your sponsored child:
  • Paper dolls
  • Postcards
  • Pictures of yourself or family
  • Sports cards, individual cards (baseball, soccer, football)
  • Stickers (flat, paper-based, only a few at a time)
  • Paper-based simple bookmarks, stationery, drawing, or writing paper (single sheets)
  • Coloring pages (single sheets, not books)

Please do NOT send:
  • Monetary gifts
  • Liquids, candy, or food
  • Batteries or magnets

Please note, all items should be compliant with airline transport and safety regulations. Gifts that don’t meet the gift policy will be donated to a local Christian non-profit organization in Phoenix, Arizona, that works with low-income families. We will not be able to return them.