What if children were empowered to choose their sponsors, instead of sponsors selecting their sponsored child? Children’s HopeChest has been operating with a traditional sponsorship model for the last 25 years. To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are switching things up for the next 125 years by announcing the “Friendship Model,” an innovative approach to rethink child sponsorship and give children a voice and choice.
The idea was born in September 2018 from a conversation with HopeChest Country Director of Moldova, Serghei Mihailov, who explained that in Moldova sponsorship has a negative connotation, meaning that a child feels owned by their sponsor. Serghei suggested that, to provide dignity and agency for the child, the child might choose a “HopeChest Friend” to build a relationship with from among those who sign up to support the CarePoint.
HopeChest has been workshopping the Friendship Model since March 2019, and is excited to announce our desire to expand this initiative!
