SILVERDALE, Wash., May 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — International child sponsorship really does improve children's well-being, according to a new study conducted by the University of San Francisco. This is exciting news for the millions of Americans who give to child sponsorship organizations each month.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130522/PH18526)
The findings of this landmark study, published in the April 2013 edition of the Journal of Political Economy, show that sponsorship greatly increases children's opportunities for success in various aspects of life. According to the study, sponsored children are better educated and grow up to obtain better jobs than their unsponsored peers.
In addition, a follow-up study showed that sponsored children are happier and more hopeful than their peers, and that the spiritual and emotional aspects of child sponsorship could be just as important as the financial aspects. In a May 9 story published by the BBC, the study's author, Dr. Bruce Wydick, said, "Bringing hope to children … may be a profound and little researched aspect of development."
The study's findings prove what Children of the Nations® (COTN®) has known for years: that child sponsorship works, and it involves much more than relief or financial assistance—it involves teaching children that their lives have a purpose. Children of the Nations has always taken this approach to sponsorship, by encouraging each child's physical, mental, social, and spiritual development.
Children like Peter, who entered COTN's program in Malawi 12 years ago as a severely malnourished two-year-old, have benefited greatly from this well-rounded approach to care. "When I remember what has been done for me in the past, I start to cry," Peter says. "I was not in good shape, but Children of the Nations took me in on behalf of God. Through COTN, I am able to see a bright future for myself."
Through the support of thousands of monthly donors, Children of the Nations sponsors more than 4,500 children like Peter in Africa and the Caribbean, providing them with education, medical care, food, clothing, and most importantly, hope.
Peter, like many of his sponsored peers, is now in secondary school and looking forward to the opportunities ahead of him. "When I think about the transformation in my life," Peter says, "I praise the Lord, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made for a purpose."
Children of the Nations is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising children who transform nations. The organization currently serves in Sierra Leone, Malawi, Uganda, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, providing holistic care to orphaned and destitute children. For more information, visit http://www.cotni.org.
Media contact:
Pam Wright, Senior Director – Advancement
360-698-7227 / Email