Welcome Back!

You have Gifts for Good in your basket.

Checkout Now
Continue shopping for more gifts

Welcome Back!

Last time you were here, you were looking to help vulnerable children and families. Your support can save and change lives.

Donate Now
Learn more about our appeals

What’s it like to be a young person in different parts of the world? And what do kids actually want to learn about life in other countries?

These are some of the questions being answered through ChildFund Connect, a new educational program that links children in Australia with children in developing countries. It’s a way for kids to connect and learn with each other using video and other technologies to communicate.

Teaching kids about the world is a really important part of their education, but we’re finding through this program that what kids are taught is not necessarily what they’re most interested in.

We’ve visited schools in Australia, Vietnam, Laos and most recently Timor Leste, armed with pocket video cameras and microphones. At each school, the students decide what they want to know about their peers overseas and then film each other asking their questions. Across all countries the favourite topics have been food, sports, popular games and free-time activities. For example, Grace from Australia wanted to know: “What do children eat in Vietnam?” And Mai from Vietnam asked: “What do you do for fun in Australia?”

By using technology to record questions and answers, children have been able to discover how similar and different their lives are compared to young people in other parts of the world. As one participant from rural Australia put it: “I learnt that the Laos children are not that different from us.”

We began this program because we wanted more children to discover what life is like for someone of a similar age, living in a different country. It also gives children a chance to communicate what’s important to them and show us their lives in their own way. We might not use the language of child rights with kids this young, but essentially it’s child rights in action – children lead every step of the program, from what they choose to film to the design of the website.

They also provide feedback on the activities, which helps us ensure the program is working for them. As one girl said to me: “It is really cool to see the kids in Vietnam and Laos answering our questions.” And I really believe that the best kind of learning happens when kids use their own creativity and inquiring minds to find out about the world.

I have worked for ChildFund Australia for more than 15 years – the past 12 of those managing our Sponsor Relations department – and probably the most common question I have been asked over the years is, how do we select children for child sponsorship?

Interestingly enough, the answer isn’t that complicated. When ChildFund commences a relationship with a community, there is a set of criteria for enrolling children into the sponsorship program. Local staff and parent committees use this criteria to select children and families who are most in need of assistance. Beyond all criteria, one fundamental ethos is present: children cannot be discriminated against based on religion, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, language, sexual orientation, disability or political conviction.

Examples of some of the criteria could be:

  • Location – is the family in an accessible area?
  • Economic need – on a country, regional and community level, ChildFund field staff must assess what the average need is for a community and seek out families that fall below that level
  • Age – generally, younger rather than older children will be enrolled, with the most needy in the community enrolled first. Children are eligible for enrolment from birth to the age of 12 years.

I will add that one of the most important things to remember when talking about child sponsorship is that those children who are not enrolled are still assisted. Sponsorship funds are pooled to help meet the individual and group needs of all children in the program area. Combining sponsorship funds means large-scale projects can be undertaken, such as the installation of water systems, the construction of school facilities and comprehensive immunisation programs, which will benefit all children in the community.

We also undertake monitoring trips each year to evaluate our sponsorship programs and conduct training with our field staff. The photo above was taken when my colleague Sarah and I were visiting a project in Ecuador. Of course, the best part is getting to meet the kids!

By subscribing, you agree to receive communication from ChildFund Australia.