Giving Wisely

I just finished "Giving Wisely" by Jonathan Martin, a gift from our daughter Sharon & family. His premise is that Americans are very generous, but often do more harm than good with their unwise giving.

Martin makes several valid points in his book, but I think the situation is vastly more complex than he describes. One case in point is child sponsorship. He feels that most child sponsorship programs create inequities in the community by raising one child over another. He thinks the best programs raise the whole community togeether rather than helping children one by one.

Yet even if sponsorship raised the whole community, wouldn't that create an inequity (and an equal danger of jealousy) with surrounding communities? Can anything be done to help anywhere without creating inquities of one sort or another? I think not.

Of course, I admit I am prejudiced on this point, because Every Child Ministries has child sponsorship programs. Or maybe that actually makes me more qualified to speak. Being intimately connected with the policy decisions made regarding those child sponsorship programs, I am familiar with the difficulties and the dividends of sponsorship.

At Every Child Ministries, we take pains to make sure that the very neediest children in the community are selected. Yes, their level will be raised because of the sponsorship, but if they are at the very bottom of the opportunity ladder, then raising them a few notches will not make them privileged and spoiled, but will put them closer to the norm with other children.

Most sponsorship organizations permit only one child per family, but most of our children are orphans of at least one parent if not both, taken in by relatives or others. We did find that when the outside child got sponsorship but not the children by birth, this did create difficult relationships. We were watching this closely, and made a policy change to allow and even encourage sponsorship of one of the children by birth as well.

Other things we have done to discourage jealousy and inequity are 1. to encourage gifts chosen by the project coordinator rather than by the sponsor, 2. to pool holiday gift funds and purchase the same thing, a needed item, for all the children and also to send gift bags of food items or other needed items home to the families, 3. to help with community projects in the sponsorship areas whenever possible (clean water, school library, etc.) 4. to visit the families by rotation and leave a gift for one of the other children on each visit.

When I think of the changes sponsorship has brought to the children in our programs, I know for sure that our sponsor's giving has been wise. Although not without pitfalls and problems, child sponsorship is still, in my opinion, one of the best ways to help children.

Further, sponsors love the personal connection. Giving to a community project just isn't the same. Helping one child is something to which most people can relate. That's why it's so popular.

I am vitally interested in the topic, "Giving Wisely," but on the subject of child sponsorship, I still say that sponsoring a child is a very wise investment. I still say it's very good stewardship.