Child Sponsorship

In a nutshell	Resonate Youth (part o fRiverside Church, Exeter) took a great step to loving their global neighbours by sponsoring a child through the Christian charity Compassion. Their sponsored girl is called Shabnam, who lives in India and is as old as the youngest members of the youth group so that they could, year by year, grow up with her.
Who has done it?	Resonate Youth (part of Riverside Church, Exeter)
How did it work?	The young people raise funds for the sponsorship through a range of activities including the ‘Jar of Shabnam’ which appears at all their weekly youth programmes so people can drop in spare change and pocket money. They usually exceed the sponsorship costs which means they can then send a little extra to Shabnam on her birthday and at Christmas. A sponsored ‘Slum Survivor’ event  which raised £800 meant they could buy a new roof for Shabnam’s family home!
The Outcome	The group receive regular letters from Shabnam, and they respond, too, with letters and photos of their own. Finding out more about Shabnam’s life and family situation has had a real impact on all of the group. They said, ‘Having regular contact with a young person in a different culture to your own has a really positive impact, and certainly extends our global awareness. It also gives us a personal perspective into the challenges faced by others around the world.’