Sponsorship is one of the foundations upon which Save the Children builds its community education and health programs and improves individual children's lives, both in the United States and throughout the developing world. Sponsorship makes it possible to match caring individual donors with children in need to provide programs that truly result in lasting change. Incorporating only the best practices, and using the latest monitoring and evaluation techniques, sponsor-supported programs are based on meeting children's needs at key stages in their physical and intellectual development, from early childhood to adolescence.

Our philosophy is based on the idea that a hand up is far more effective than a handout. Instead of giving money directly to children, we create community-based solutions that provide vital health, education and social support services. By involving communities in the work we do, our goal is to create changes that will last, and not just help one generation of children and their families, but future generations as well. With education as the principal goal of our sponsorship programs, we focus on the core developmental stages and needs of children’s lives.