9 June 2011 Last updated at 21:05 ET
What's it like to be a sponsored child?
By Emily Buchanan BBC News, in Ghana
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| Sponsoring a child in the developing world is a popular form of charitable giving. But what do the children themselves make of the system? |
"I wrote and thanked them for taking care of me up to this day” - Priscilla
When Priscilla was a child, a donor many thousands of miles from her Ghanaian village helped pay for her schooling. For years she exchanged letters with her British benefactor. Now she is 20, the charity has stopped the sponsorship and the relationship. "Last year I wrote to them saying goodbye and thanked them for taking care of me up to this day," says Priscilla, an accountancy student. "When I was writing, I was full of tears. Tears were coming from my eyes." Sponsor-a-child arrangements throw up emotional highs and lows for the children, something many donors are unaware of.
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| Charities like World Vision and Plan International use sponsor-a-child models to raise funds |
Priscilla's sponsorship was arranged through World Vision. The charity has boosted the fortunes of Dangme West, which used to be one of the most deprived areas in greater Accra, the capital of Ghana.
Youngsters such as Priscilla are sponsored for up to 15 years. They often receive letters and gifts, so many feel a close bond with their sponsor. Augustina, 14, who hopes to become a doctor, says her sponsor has sent her many things - shoes, bags, crayons, books. She hopes her sponsor loves her, and wants to visit her in England. Some even want their sponsors' e-mail addresses, so they can carry on their correspondence into adulthood. But charities do not encourage this, for fear of dependency. It's an arrangement that can bring disappointment, as well as money. Abraham tells me he hasn't heard from his sponsor for eight years, and he doesn't know why.
