5 Tips to Help a Child in Need
Unfortunately, in today’s world, it doesn’t take much looking to find a child in need of your help. Children are our most precious individuals and depending on where they live and their other life circumstances, they can often struggle the most. Extreme poverty is one of the largest issues around the globe, especially in places like Latin America and the Caribbean where 25.9 million people struggle with extreme poverty. In this blog, we will provide 5 tips on how to help a child in need starting with identifying your skills and finding an organization that can utilize those skills.
1. Identify Ways Your Skills Can Help a Child In Need
The first step in the process to help a child in need is to look inside. What is it that is drawing you to this calling and how would you like to help? Think about the skills you have and how you could use them to assist children. Even in the unlikely event you do not have a special skill or talent, you can always support good causes in many other ways, like donating your time and effort.
Some possible options include but are not limited to:
- Tutoring children
- Teaching a Skill
- Giving monetary donations
- Donating physical items
- Sponsoring a child directly
- Creating the infrastructure that children rely on
- Offering business expertise
2. Take the time to understand the challenges children face
Depending on their location and situation, challenges vary
When we focus on how to help a child in need there are three main things that we look at first which are food, water, and shelter. Charities working to provide these basic needs are always looking for donations and volunteers. Food, water, and shelter are consistently thought of as the basics of survival but there are also additional needs that organizations have expanded on to ensure children thrive, which include sanitation, education, and healthcare.
In each one of these areas, there are charities working around the world to help support children. Some organizations will specialize in helping boys while others might help girls depending on who may be struggling the most in their location.
In Honduras, for example, girls are especially vulnerable. Parts of Honduras struggle greatly with kidnapping, trafficking of girls, and violence against girls. The Center for Women’s Rights and other organizations around the globe keep track of the violence against women in Honduras because of its disproportionate rates. Between 2010 and 2013 murders against women rose 65% in Honduras alone.
Violence, poverty, and fear are all reasons that young women in Honduras and other Latin American countries don’t continue on with their education. The cycle of poverty and lack of education is one area where charities in Latin America have a detrimental impact on the lives of these children and their communities, therefore, breaking the cycle of poverty and providing more resources to these children would be one of the biggest priorities to focus on when it comes to helping children in need.
So whenever you are trying to think of ways to help children in need, take the time to understand the specific challenges they face in that country or region, so that you can direct your time and money to the areas that need the most attention.
3. Pick a Reputable Organization That Shares Your Values
There are many organizations with different types of focus
When it comes to helping children in need, there are many causes to choose from. For example, are you passionate about improving the educational prospects of children? Or perhaps you have a particular interest in helping to improve pediatric health or water sanitation for children. Regardless of which cause you are most drawn to, there will be a charity, NGO, or organization dedicated to helping children with those particular issues.
Before you donate your time and resources, it is important to find out as much information as you can about that charity so you can ensure that their values match your own. For example, some organizations are rooted in religious values, while nearly all have a strong mission.
All organizations will help children in different ways and while they may share similar goals, it is important to ensure you are aligned with their principles as this will impact the type of help you are able to give and the way you interact with the children.
Of course, in order to ensure that your help definitely gets to the children who need it most, it is important to ensure that the charity you are working with is reputable. You can do this by taking a look at some of the projects they have been involved in before, look at their annual reports, and ensure they are registered with the right agencies in the country where they are located.
4. Volunteer
One of the most precious ways to help a child in need is to give your time and talent. You can volunteer in a multitude of ways depending on your chosen location, time, and abilities including, teaching new skills, building schools, providing food and resources, and much, much more. At Our Little Roses, for example, many of the volunteers that have visited us in San Pedro Sula, Honduras have a special talent or skill that they share with the girls; Some of these talents have previously included playing guitar, cooking, playing soccer, crochet, or anything else that would help to enrich the lives of children in need.
You don’t necessarily have to visit our Home in Honduras in order to become a volunteer! There are several ways to volunteer your time and talent to Our Little Roses right from the comfort of your own couch! Learn more about volunteering for Our Little Roses here.
5. Donate Goods and Money
Once you’ve figured out the possible ways you want to be involved, it’s time for the next step. You can make a huge difference in a child’s life with very little time and money. Something like a monthly sponsorship program would fit perfectly for someone who wants to make a difference but cannot dedicate very much time to their