International child sponsorship schemes have come under attack for perpetuating racist thinking, as an apology by a charity to thousands of children in Sri Lanka has sparked a debate over the money-raising schemes.
Plan International last week said that it had made “mistakes” in its exit from Sri Lanka last year, following criticism from donors and former employees that it had failed 20,000 vulnerable children in the country.
It apologized to sponsored children, as well as to communities and partners, some of whom felt that the organization had left “abruptly” and without sufficient communication.
The controversy has reignited debate over international child sponsorship schemes and whether, amid growing calls to decolonize aid, the benefits that they offer can outweigh the north-south power relations they re-enforce.
Carol Sherman, an independent humanitarian consultant who has held senior director roles in international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for two decades, said that the schemes perpetuate “racist and paternalistic thinking” similar to the “poverty porn” images of poor black children used by charities in the past.
“For years, we didn’t talk about the white gaze, myself included,” Sherman said. “Child sponsorship is a small part of decolonizing aid, but it’s a part NGOs need to change. It is a relic of the past.”
Sherman said that many large schemes have evolved to provide benefits to communities, not individuals, while others, such as World Vision, allow the child involvement in choosing a donor.
However, “tweaking” the model is not enough, she said.
“Many agencies have moved away from sponsors of individual children to sponsors of communities, but they are still using individual children to ‘sell’ to donors,” Sherman said.
“Donors stick a picture of a child on their fridge and think of them as ‘our child’. They are well intentioned, but the parents of that child can’t refuse the money because they are living in poverty,” Sherman added.
The schemes remain a popular and lucrative method of fundraising with international NGOs, and do not have the same restraints as, for example, government sources.
For example, Compassion International raised US$755 million from child sponsorship, three-quarters of its total income of US$1 billion last year.
In the same year, child sponsorship accounted for nearly one-third (US$27 million) of World Vision’s US$99 million income, while Plan International raised US$439 million — more than one-third of its US$1.11 billion income last year.
World Vision UK public engagement director Graham Newton said that, unlike other forms of funding, child sponsorship allows it to provide communities with long-term support of 10 to 15 years.
He said that 99 percent of staff in the 57 countries where 3 million children are sponsored are local.
“World Vision staff from these communities know what the issues are and what needs done,” Newton said. “It is led by the communities and gives them the opportunity to deliver change.”
The “chosen” initiative, introduced in 2019 to allow children to pick a sponsor, aims to give children more of a voice, build a meaningful relationship with sponsors, as well as offer donors “a window” into their lives.
Newton rebuts criticism that the scheme is paternalistic, saying: “The child sponsorship model is about how we truly give children a voice to achieve change in their communities.”
Plan International spokesperson said: “We are constantly evolving our sponsorship model, and the impact of COVID-19, digitization and decolonialization of aid has challenged us to accelerate this evolution process.”
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS