The children who are candidates for sponsorship are from the poorest families in the neighbourhood and are at risk of dropping out of school.Most of the girls have been victims of abuse or have stayed at the Auberge de “La Libélula”. As for the boys, they are usually forced to work at an early age to support their families. Often, the families cannot afford to pay for the children’s schooling and do not support them during their schooling. Children are caught in a vicious circle of child exploitation. The more they work and earn, the less interest they have in continuing their education and the more they drop out.Godfathership program gives them the opportunity to escape these abusive and exploitative situations and focus on their studies. Today, more than 120 children receive support from European godparents.

The patron chooses to sponsor one of these children and to pay for his or her schooling every month until the baccalaureate.School mentorship is an effective tool to get these children out of the vicious circle of poverty and ignorance. It provides them with all the school supplies required by the schools (notebooks, uniform books, sports shoes, etc.) the medical care he or she may need, but also constant social and psychological follow-up that benefits not only the child but also the rest of the family.Twice a year, the godchild corresponds with his or her godparent. He or she sends a small handwritten letter in which he or she talks about his or her daily life, his or her difficulties and his or her ideas for the future. It’s therefore a real bridge between the North and the South and a warm means of exchange and sharing.

Sponsorship of a child’s schooling amounts to 35 euros/month. This sum finances school supplies, compulsory clothing and the child’s transport expenses, while ensuring the management costs of the project and the follow-up of the children by the social service of the “La Libélula” centre. A sponsor undertakes to finance the studies of his or her godchild from the year of sponsorship until the baccalaureate. In Belgium, applications and follow-up are managed by several volunteers, while payments are made through the Brussels-based association El Amanecer. In France, the sponsorship project is managed by the Adailes association, now based in Lille.Note that these two associations benefit from the tax deduction, which reduces the final cost of the sponsorship to more than 50% for the godparents.In Switzerland, our partner Education and Future (Bolivia) Geneva is in charge of the new sponsorships.