The “Whys” behind the PWM Child Sponsorship model
WHY six Advocate Families per child?
We have six families sponsor each Providence Child together to increase the likelihood that the model will be more sustainable, relational, and financially accessible to everyone who wants to participate. Inspired by the wisdom in Ecclesiastes 4:12 (“[A] cord of three strands is not quickly broken”), the six-fold bond has three primary strengths:
- Encourages stability and accountability for Advocate Families: If something happens to one sponsor that causes him or her to stop sponsoring the child, the other five sponsors can either find a replacement Advocate Family or slightly increase their financial commitment to cover the deficit.
- Encourages support for and significant relationships with sponsored Providence Children: The likelihood of Advocate Families consistently praying for and communicating with their Providence Child increases dramatically when the families know each other and talk about their child on a regular basis.
- Mitigates against further abandonment of Providence Children: Attachment disorders and other issues stemming from abandonment plague an orphan’s life even if he or she is adopted into a home at birth, as bonding begins at conception. The model mitigates against further abandonment of Providence Children by having strong groups of Advocate Families that commit to the children through the end of their educational lives.
WHY don’t we tell the Providence Children that they are financially sponsored?
We believe that the Providence Child-Advocate Family relationships will thrive only if they are built on in-person interaction during visits to La Providencia by the advocate families.
We never want the children to feel that their well-being is somehow dependent on writing a letter or otherwise keeping a sponsor involved. We want to avoid a culture of begging and dependency by cultivating relationships, not obligations.
We do not want to compromise the integrity of the parents’ role in the children’s lives, as knowledge of the sponsorship could create confusion in their minds as to who is their God-given provider.
WHY don’t Advocate Families choose their Providence Child?
We want to avoid any possible exploitation of the Providence Children through public dissemination of photos, videos, and/or information about them. The children are not commodities or “tokens” for people to pick and choose from; they are each unique and beautiful children of God. As a result, potential sponsors will not be able to view pictures or information about specific Providence Children before deciding to sponsor a child.
We also believe this policy eliminates decisions that are simply driven by emotion and situations where only the “cute ones” are chosen by sponsors.
WHY do we provide medical care for orphans outside of the La Providencia community?
There are approximately 2,000 orphans in other orphanages throughout the state where La Providencia is located who receive no regular medical care. They rely on temporary, infrequent medical clinics that often provide substandard care. We are capable of providing quality health care for these orphans at the John Eaves Medical Center for a mere $5 per month. That is why we ask each Advocate Family to invest an additional $5 per month in the health of another orphan.
Orphans come into the La Providencia community after being abandoned by their families, and the local community children are living in levels of extreme and virtually inescapable poverty. In an effort to lift these Providence Children out of their impoverished situations and develop them into Gospel-centered societal leaders, La Providencia provides them education, nutrition, medical care, future education and training, and families of the highest quality.
WHY would we accept anything less than the highest quality in a sponsorship model?
You can also watch a video which highlights the sponsorship program and La Providencia below.