Integrated Child Sponsorship Programme (ICSP)
Over the last 23 years, we have used education as a strategy to empower and reduce violence and exposure to risks for hard to reach and marginalised girls, boys and youth. We recognize schools as safe spaces with the knowledge that a day spent in school by a girl or a boy or a young person has reduced exposure and vulnerabilities to risks.
We believe children are not immune from the context of their communities. The extreme weather changes, negative cultural aspects, effects of HIV/AIDS, have exposed families and communities and in most scenarios led to extreme poverty.
Although communities have developed local structures to enhance child protection and response mechanism, hard to reach and marginalised children continue to face challenges in their pursuit to access inclusive quality education.
Our sponsorship programme supports children from the most vulnerable cohort of hard to reach and marginalised boys, girls and young people to complete the basic education as outlined in the Basic Education Act 2013.
Our Integrated Child Sponsorship Programme is a child-focused and community-based programme which aims at improving the long term livelihoods of a sponsored child, their family and the community. The program supports school fees/levies payment and identified community development initiatives including water and sanitation, women empowerment and livelihoods diversification support among others.
The community based interventions are implemented on the premise of human rights to ensure disadvantaged girls, boys, young people and communities are empowered to claim their rights and assert their freedoms.
Frequently Ask Questions
Girl Child Network pools together the monthly donations from sponsors to implement Integrated Child Sponsorship Programme in schools where Girl Child Network has undertaken an education programme. Typically Girl Child Network education programme covers both primary and secondary education levels.
The program does not support an individual child but rather supports community based interventions such as clean water, capacity building on climate change among others which will reach more girls and boys in the community.
Community participation through the community based interventions is strongly encouraged and valued because it is through this process that community members are empowered to establish a self-reliant and sustainable community where your sponsored child will grow to be a responsible citizen.
Your monthly support will be pooled with that of the other sponsors to implement an Integrated Child Sponsorship Program in your sponsored child’s community — cash will not be given directly to your child or the child’s family.
To free a child from poverty, Girl Child Network will implement the ICSP program in two fold; directly meet the sponsored child’s individual needs such as paying school levies and also support community initiatives in his/her community to achieve sustainable development.
Ideally, child sponsorship is a long-term commitment throughout the period of schooling which can typically last for 6-10 years. The duration of child sponsorship will vary depending on each sponsor.
Some sponsors join us at an early stage of their sponsored child’s school, perhaps in elementary school. Sometimes the children may be beginning junior high school or senior high school.
It is also possible one might like to continue sponsoring the child through to university or vocational school.
Despite the fact that both parties have best intentions, sponsorship can end for a number of reasons such as:
- When your sponsored child finishes school or begins to earn an income
- When your sponsored child’s family moves away from the community where they are living and sponsored
- When your sponsored child gets married
- When the sponsored child’s family has achieved a better living
- When your sponsored child goes on to Tertiary studies. At that point you can choose to continue the sponsor relationship or not. As Tertiary education is currently $1,700 pa, many sponsors join with friends or family to continue with Tertiary support.
In these cases, we will give you a written notification, and transfer your sponsorship to another child in need. If you prefer other arrangements, please contact our Donor Services Department.
DISCLAIMER:
At the beginning of each fiscal year, you will receive an annual receipt detailing all your donations made in the previous financial year. If you require receipts for individual payments, please contact our Donor Services Department.
Direct debit is the most effective donation method in reducing our administrative costs. Besides, you can use credit card, PPS (Payment by Phone Service), crossed cheques, our online donation service, or you can visit our Funding Partners’ office in person to make your donations
