PREVENTION PARTNERS FAQ

The child or children you have sponsored will remain in Rapha’s Prevention program, and will continue to receive educational and social work support, food supplements, and emergency medical care. The services they receive will not decline, but they will actually be further served through community initiatives and projects.

Many organizations have begun to reconsider the model of child sponsorship. Click here to read an article from Christianity Today about the reflections of several organizations on the topic. Although we sincerely believe that the Kids Club program has touched thousands of lives and protected many children from danger, we do see that there are community and systemic needs that are left unaddressed by the Kids Club program. This shift will not, of course, allow us to solve every problem that is identified in the communities we serve, we fully expect it will be a step in the direction of long term solutions and sustainable freedom.

Several considerations we have made with regard to the child sponsorship model have been financial. When funding streams are tied to individual children, our programs lack the flexibility to address collective or community needs. Globally rising prices and the acute needs of communities impacted by conflict and violence create financial strain that is exacerbated by the lack of flexibility in the one-to-one child sponsorship model.

To the best of our knowledge and ability, we have conducted Rapha’s child sponsorship program with the highest standards and best practices. Nevertheless, there may be unintended consequences. Our Kids Club staff have helped us to reflect upon the possible perception of inequality between children, who may be unable to understand why their neighbor is sponsored and they are not. We have even heard from partner organizations of children in other sponsorship programs who have questioned their salvation, and God’s love for them, based on their sponsorship status.

Replacing the child sponsorship model will allow us to :

1. Create the financial and programmatic flexibility to address community problems.

2. Create financial and programmatic sustainability that is more resilient to inflation and socio-political shifts.

3. Eliminate unintentional inequality that may be perceived between sponsored and unsponsored children.

To be a Prevention Partner is to join Rapha International in our work to protect children who are at high risk for human trafficking, sexual exploitation, abuse, and family separation. Risk factors like poverty, lack of social networks, lack of access to education and medical care, and other forms of instability impact these children every day. Rapha’s Prevention Program exists to counter these risk factors and to build up children, families, and communities. ription text goes here

Yes! Rapha International’s Prevention Programs are mobilized by Christian community workers. Each week, the children are invited to take part in activities at Kids Club community centers where they have the opportunity to gather, play, learn about Jesus, and build relationships with the Christian staff. This is also a great opportunity for parents to interact with the staff caring for their child, ask questions about God, and build relationships with believers. In the process, a community is formed and strengthened.

During this learning process, we have learned that sharing photos of children, especially with their names and locations, poses a security and confidentiality risk. In order to best serve vulnerable children and families, you will not receive individual reports or photos of the child you previously sponsored.

There will be increased communication about our expanding Prevention Program! Instead of individual photos, look out for the Prevention Quarterly- an online newsletter that will be emailed to you. This newsletter will provide updates and highlights of Rapha’s Prevention Program.

You are welcome to write to our prevention staff in order to encourage them in their work. Our social workers and program managers in the field are our hands and feet, serving these children every day. These workers are tireless in their efforts to show God’s love to vulnerable children and to help them build futures that are safe and bright. Please let us know if you would like to send a message to our staff members.

As always, Kids Club donations are initially handled by our US-based Chief Financial Officer and his team. Community Programs will be identified and proposed by in-country staff. The implementation of those programs will be overseen by the Prevention Director, Kids Club Managers, and other Rapha staff. As in all Rapha programs, approximately 20% of revenue is spent on essential overhead and indirect costs.

Our leadership and staff in each Kids Club location have already identified fantastic initiatives that will impact families, neighborhoods, and communities! In Cambodia, our Country Director and Prevention staff would like to offer financial literacy courses for adults, to counter predatory and potentially exploitative practices used by lenders in impoverished areas. When parents better understand how to avoid being victimized by these practices, children will be safer from exploitation and trafficking. In Thailand, clean water initiatives and agriculture projects have been identified as measures that will improve the living conditions and economic conditions of migrant families. Other community based services currently identified include education programs focused on language, vocational skills, parenting, as well as more medical clinics and transportation assistance.

The current model of one-to-one child sponsorship prevents our staff from having the flexibility and resources to implement the programs that they have identified. The new model will allow for that financial flexibility to implement community wide programs, and to expand family services at a sustainable pace.

Objective 1: Protect children by decreasing vulnerability to trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

The primary protective factors provided directly to children by the Kids Club prevention program are access to education and medical care. Every child enrolled in the Kids Club program is provided with all uniforms and supplies necessary to attend school, and provided with safe and reliable transportation to and from school. Rapha’s Community Workers have worked tirelessly to enroll migrant children in Thai public schools and assist as school liaisons. During Covid-related school lockdowns, Community Workers delivered school work to student’s homes and assisted with homework questions through open windows. Through partnerships with local providers, children enrolled in Kids Club are also provided with access to medical care as needed for illnesses, injuries or chronic conditions. This relieves the financial burden and eliminates other barriers to medical care experienced by refugee families.

Objective 2: Preserve intact families by providing access to resources and support.

Rapha works to preserve intact families and prevent the institutionalization of children in vulnerable communities by providing resources to families. The Kids Club program provides nutrition supplements to families facing food insecurity in Mae Sot. Rapha’s Community Workers assess the family’s circumstances and connect them to outside resources to assist with housing, health care, safe employment, and other needs. Rapha staff provide social and emotional support to families, and help them build a social network that promotes resilience.

Objective 3: Promote safety, education, and well-being for children by addressing unique community needs

In every community where Rapha operates a prevention program, we work to address community-wide and system level needs that impact children. In Mae Sot, the needs of the community are significant. Ensuring access to education for children has been a top priority, especially after the closure of private schools at the onset of the pandemic. Rapha’s staff in Mae Sot have enrolled over 100 Burmese children in Thai school in the last year. Rapha has established partnerships with private foundations and other organizations serving in Thailand to distribute food and medical supplies to refugees living in the Mae Sot area.