World Vision is a global Christian relief and development organization. We’re dedicated to helping children, families, and communities reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

We help transform the lives of the world’s poorest children and families in nearly 100 countries, including the United States. Our community-development approach to ending poverty includes: Nutrition, safe drinking water, education, economic opportunity, disaster response, and empowering women. We help all people, regardless of their religious beliefs, gender, race, or ethnicity.

Learn more about us 

World Vision and several other charitable agencies have been subject to recent "phishing" attach (email scams). The scams claim to offer job opportunities and are requests for additional information from the individual. Other fraudulent requests may include: requests to convert funds or requests to forward financial transaction directly to field programs.

If you have received an email in connection with a job or financial opportunity, we urge you not to respond. These emails are not legitimate. Either delete the email or report it to www.ic3.gov.

It costs $49 per month to sponsor a child. This tax-deductible monthly donation provides your sponsored child with access to education, safe water, nutritious food, healthcare and more. You can look forward to getting the first letter from your child in your welcome package. It’s the start of a beautiful and uplifting relationship!

Child sponsorship is an opportunity to personally connect with a child, family, and community in need. You’ll walk alongside them as they work on lasting solutions to fight poverty and help vulnerable children reach their God-given potential.

When you become a child sponsor, while your funds will go towards community based solutions, you’ll start to build a relationship with one special child. You can connect with your child by writing letters and emails or sending cards and gifts. Knowing that someone far away cares about them and their future will be a great encouragement for a sponsored child.

Our decades of experience have proven that the most effective way to help a child is to strengthen the child’s entire community. We do this by pooling your monthly sponsorship donations with those of other sponsors to provide the assistance that children and families living in poverty need most. Your generous donations will help your child, their community, and other children in need by providing vital resources like clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, education, economic opportunities, and more.

Each community that we work with faces different challenges and has different needs, so the work we do is unique to each community. We listen to the people in the community to understand the issues hindering children from reaching their full potential and partner with them to address their short-term and long-term needs. We also work with local groups—such as churches or government organizations—to build stronger communities.

Experience has taught us that the best way to change a child's life is to transform the world in which they live - their family, their community and the local area. Your monthly donation is combined with the donations of other sponsors so we can provide long-term resources for lasting change for all the children in your child’s community.

When you sponsor a child, you can help to change their world. World Vision’s Child Sponsorship Program helps children living in disadvantaged regions to escape poverty. As a child sponsor, you partner with us as we work with families, community groups and governments in breaking the cycle of poverty and creating long-term change. Using your donations, we identify the causes of the child’s poverty and vulnerability, and create development projects designed to address them. Our goal is that all children in sponsorship communities will benefit from our work, which can include improved healthcare, education, water, sanitation and food. There are so many wonderful stories of sponsored children who’ve grown up healthy and happy – thanks to generous people like you. Depending on child and community needs, sponsorship projects may focus on:

Clean water and sanitation: Access to clean water, toilets and hygiene education give your sponsored child better health and more time and energy to learn.

Health and nutrition: Quality local health services and health and nutrition education for families give your sponsored child the chance to grow up strong and protected from preventable illness.

Food and agriculture: Skills for families to grow more crops and better protect the environment and give your sponsored child the food they need to lead a healthy, active life.

Education and child rights: Quality education and protecting child rights give your sponsored child knowledge and skills and the freedom to have a brighter future.

Income generation: By supporting communities and families to improve their incomes you can help your sponsored child reach their full potential as they gain access to life's essentials.

Sponsored children and their families do not receive direct cash benefits. Instead, your monthly donation is pooled with other donations to fund development programs that benefit your sponsored child and their whole community, as well as other children in need — ensuring you have maximum impact. And it works! Because of our community-focused solutions, for every child you help, four more children benefit, too. Experience has taught us that the best way to change a child's life is to transform the world in which they live - their family, their community and the local area.

Yes, we exist to make a lasting difference in the most efficient and effective way possible in the lives of the world’s most vulnerable girls and boys. We account for every dollar donated and focus on creating sustainable change for those we serve. To learn more about how donations are helping transform the lives of communities around the world, check out our latest Annual Results Report on our Financial Accountability page.

Of the funds given to World Vision over the past 5 years, 84.9% went directly to programs that help children and families in the communities where we work, 10% went to help raise more resources, and 5.1% was allocated to vital support and accountability. Our external auditor, KPMG, conducts regular audits to verify the accuracy of our financial reporting.

When you become a child sponsor, you will receive a welcome package and letter of introduction from your sponsored child or World Vision staff working in the child’s community. Each year you will receive an updated photo of your sponsored child and a progress report, which will let you know about the good news happening in his or her community.

You will also have access to My World Vision, a digital platform that allows you to manage your information, learn more about your sponsored child’s community, meet other children who live there, and follow along with their progress. When you sponsor a child, you provide access to basic necessities such as food, clean water, education and health care.

The selection of children for sponsorship is a respectful process that happens in partnership with their community. We work with community representatives to identify the local areas where the needs are greatest and the community then selects children from those areas for sponsorship. Sponsored children are selected from the most vulnerable families and being sponsored often gives them increased visibility and importance in the community. Participation in all World Vision programs is voluntary, and sponsored children and their families make the decision to be a part of the program. We always respect the rights of families to make decisions about this. Your sponsored child, along with other children in their community, benefits from the changes made possible by your donations. Children in the community who aren’t sponsored yet still benefit from sponsorship-funded community improvements in areas like clean water, healthcare, education, job opportunities, and more.

Sponsorship is a long-term commitment that lasts 10-12 years in one sponsored community with continued commitment beyond that as we move to serve more children in great need in other communities. However, the length of each sponsorship depends on the needs of the child and their community. Your child’s age of independence or circumstances will vary from country to country. Sponsorship may end for any of the following reasons:

The community has “graduated.” The goal of sponsorship is to help break the cycle of poverty so children and families can step into the future with well-founded hope. When sustainability goals are met, projects are phased out and we move on to serve children in great need in other communities. This is a time for celebration!

Your child becomes self-sufficient. In many cases, children are sponsored until they finish school, reach the age of independence in their community, are able to support themselves.

Occasionally, circumstances arise that mean a child must leave the sponsorship program. For example, a child’s family may move out of the community to an area where World Vision Child Sponsorship is not available.

If circumstances change and your child is no longer available for sponsorship, we’ll notify you and send you a new child in need to begin sponsoring.

No. We do not organize adoption or bringing children to Canada for visits. Your help to improve a child’s quality of life and self-reliance in their own countries and cultures has deeper value than moving them to a foreign country.

In everything we do, we aim to find the best balance between cost, donor satisfaction and the impact of donated dollars. As a best practice, we will provide donors with prior notice before any proposed increase is implemented. We will obtain your consent to any increase in your monthly sponsorship amount through an ‘opt-out’ process. This means that if you receive World Vision Canada’s notice of an increase and want to participate, there is nothing further required from you. If you don’t want to participate, simply indicate so by using one of the easy ‘opt-out’ options that will be provided. As always, if you wish to stop your sponsorship, you may do so at any time.

We strongly encourage you to write to your sponsored child. Children love to hear from their sponsors and often treasure the letters and photos that are sent.

When writing to your sponsored child, please use the World Vision country office address located in the picture folder for your sponsored child. All correspondence must include:

• World Vision's national office address (exactly as it appears) on the front of the envelope.
• Your sponsored child's name and child ID number on the back flap of your envelope and on the top of your letter. Please do not write your address inside the letter. Your letters may reach your sponsored child in a few weeks, but the response time can be quite long for some countries – up to six months, in some cases.

Definitely – but please send simple gifts tucked into your letters and cards. Flat items such as photos, bookmarks, stamps or stickers, in an envelope no bigger than 6” x 9”, are ideal. Please don't send parcels or cash. Your sponsored child's picture folder — which you received in your welcome package — contains all the address details that you need.

We are currently upgrading the way you communicate with your sponsored child. Stay tuned as we make this a smoother, more reliable process! 

It’s a personalized online account that allows you to deepen your connection with your sponsored children. From your My World Vision, you can send your sponsored children emails, see their latest progress and photos, and update your account information.

Here’s what we’ll be doing, based on feedback from our field staff:

• welcoming Special Gifts just once per calendar year, per child
• earmarking 25% of any amount between $100 and $200 toward a community gift or activity

Here’s what we’ll continue doing the same:

• Welcoming Special Gifts of $100 minimum
• directing Special Gift donation amounts exceeding $200 toward a community gift or activity.

For the sake of your sponsored child, and those around them! Our field staff have been letting us know that:

• too-frequent Special Gifts have the potential to remove staff from activities which benefit the entire community
• multiple gifts per year can create jealously amongst children, creating challenges for your sponsored child.

Shifting some benefit to other children in the community will preserve the joy of Special Gifts, while improving life for all children there.

If you sponsor more than one child, you’re most welcome to give a Special Gift to each child, once a calendar year. This would celebrate your sponsored children, while still empowering field staff to focus primarily on programming that offers maximum benefit to the whole community!

Your gift helps provide something your sponsored community’s children may never otherwise receive. Here are just a few examples:

• playground equipment
• a small library
• a group birthday party for all children!

Special Gifts also help provide critical items like agricultural tools, building supplies, or a water tank. Your gift might also support a local school, clinic or other important needs in the community that require funds over and above sponsors’ monthly donations.

All the powerful benefits of Special Gifts will remain – including the ever-stronger bond between you and your sponsored child. But you’ll also preserve harmony and improve the overall environment in which that child is growing up. Here’s how:

• Your sponsored child and their family will receive the gifts they need most
• The community will benefit from your gift, improving life for all children
• You will enjoy the powerful connection that comes from giving a Special Gift, including receiving a photo of the items purchased and a thank you letter from your sponsored child.

Yes, in a small handful of cases. If a sponsored child is facing an emergency, for instance, or urgent health or education needs. For more information on these exceptions, please call us at 1-866-595-5550.

When you give a Special Gift, you do something wonderful. You offer a child the power to participate in a decision. In families that are struggling financially, money goes toward essentials. Clothes are usually hand-me-downs. School supplies are often just out of reach, as are toys and games. Your child will help choose the gift, along with his or her family.

Due to the remote location of many of our sponsor-supported communities, please allow for at least six months after making your Special Gift donation to receive your thank you letter and photo.

Starting April 1, 2019, 25% of your Special Gift donation, and any amount over the first $200, will go towards a community gift or activity that benefits all the children in the community. This might be new school supplies or playground equipment.

Absolutely! Birthdays are important times for children in developing countries, just as they are here in Canada. Be sure to give a Special Gift well in advance of your sponsored child’s birthday, so our staff can make the arrangements. Christmas is another good option!

Purchasing gifts in your sponsored child’s own community brings business to local merchants. They’re working hard to support their children, grow their businesses and hire more workers. Buying locally is a great way to support the work we’re doing together, through sponsorship.

Helping children and families choose and purchase the items they need most is a joy for our staff. But it can take a fair bit of time, in communities with a great many needs. The $100 minimum ensures that the Special Gift provides real and lasting value to the child, their family—and starting in April 2019—the entire community.

There’s no limit! But it’s important to note that starting in April 2019, 25 per cent of each gift under $200 and all amounts over $200 will go towards a community gift. For a community that’s been waiting for a water tank, or equipment for a medical clinic, these larger gifts can be a wonderful blessing.

Lebanon is the only country we have sponsorship programs in that is unable to process Special Gifts.

Yes, you will. You’ll also receive a wonderful picture of your sponsored child with her new purchases. One will go in your files. The other will very likely go on your fridge!

Yes you can, through your regular sponsorship correspondence. Small, inexpensive gifts can be mailed to your child’s World Vision country office, to be opened with surprise and delight by your sponsored child!

We appreciate that you want the best for your sponsored child and care about what's being sent. We have paid attention to your concern and came up with designs that appeal to a much wider age group. In some other cases, we determine the design of the card or gift a sponsored child would receive based on age. We also communicate regularly with our field staff and learn that more than the card or gift itself, children simply love getting mail from their sponsors. Each card they receive represents that their sponsor is thinking about them.

We work closely with our field staff to ensure the design and the message on each card/gift is culturally appropriate. The safety and protection of sponsored children are top priority. If you choose to add a note to your item, please consider your sponsored child’s environment, traditions, and culture. We reserve the option to remove any inappropriate content.

Of course! While we appreciate financial gifts, you are not obligated to donate when you return your card. The card/gift you return will be processed and shipped to individual sponsored children as soon as possible.

We want to take the hassle out of communicating with your sponsored child. When you sign and return a card/gift, we will make sure each one is processed and delivered to your sponsored child.

Yes, you can email sponsored children in some communities. To do this, you will need to create a My World Vision account by clicking the "Create an Account" link at the top of the page. For more information, contact us at info@worldvision.ca or call us at 1-866-595-5550.

Sponsor visits typically take place at a World Vision office, community center or school. It is important to note that in some countries, due to their child protection policy, the visit is held outside of the sponsored child’s community.

Sponsor visits take place on weekdays ONLY and are typically a few hours, not including the travel time to and from the community. It is understandable that you may want to extend your visit, but we ask that you respect the length of time the local World Vision staff has allotted for your visit. Bear in mind that a lengthy visit may disrupt the normal daily routine of your sponsored child, their family, and the community.

No. World Vision Canada will organize the necessary arrangements for you to meet your sponsored child only. For all other travel-related logistics such as flights, hotels, passports, visas and health/vaccines, please contact your local travel agency. For information on country specific travel advice and advisories please go to: https://travel.gc.ca

You are responsible for covering all the expenses related to visiting your sponsored child. Depending on your sponsored child’s location and the site of your visit, expenses may arise such as: transportation, meals and lodging for yourself, your sponsored child, and the local World Vision staff accompanying your visit, acting as your guide or translator. We will be able to give an estimate of these costs when the visit application has been approved.

In consideration of our child protection and safeguarding policies, only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit and would need to go through the same process with documentation. A friend can accompany a sponsor on the visit. Unfortunately, a friend without the sponsor accompanying cannot visit alone.

Although we appreciate your desire to volunteer your skills, knowledge, and time to help those in need, World Vision does not have a program for visiting volunteers. Our development projects are managed and operated in partnership with the local community, and we recruit qualified, local volunteers because they speak the same language and understand the culture of their people. This also provides local volunteers the opportunity to develop skills which will enable the community to become self-sufficient.

Sponsored children and community members celebrate sponsorship visits. This significant event is highly valued in the communities and cancelling a visit should be avoided if possible. If you must cancel your sponsorship visit, please contact World Vision and we can provide you with instructions on how to send a gift packet or special monetary gift to your sponsored child as an alternative.

We welcome you to bring a gift for your sponsored child and their family. Some gift ideas for your sponsored child are school supplies, hygiene items, a soccer ball or volleyball (with air pump), candy or souvenirs. Gifts for the family may include cooking utensils, potholders, local groceries, and other small treats that can be shared with the family. We do ask you to be sensitive to the child’s economic situation and to avoid items that may seem too expensive or lavish. Please refrain from giving monetary funds to your sponsored child, their family or other community members during your visit.

For privacy and child protection reasons, we ask that you do not give your mailing address, email, or phone number to your sponsored child, their family or other community members.

For your own safety, the following countries either do not allow visits from sponsors or have restrictions on visits. We also recommend that sponsors visit https://travel.gc.ca for information.

Jerusalem West Bank Gaza: Visits are approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. Only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit, no friends, extended family, etc.

Haiti: No visits due to safety/civil unrest concerns.

Lebanon: Visits are approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. Only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit, no friends, extended family, etc.

Ethiopia: Visits are approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. Only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit, no friends, extended family, etc.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Visits are approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. Only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit, no friends, extended family, etc.

Chad: Visits are approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. Only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit, no friends, extended family, etc.

Mali: Visits are approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. Only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit, no friends, extended family, etc.

Niger: Visits are approved or denied on a case-by-case basis. Only sponsors and immediate family members are allowed to visit, no friends, extended family, etc.

Technology has created so many new opportunities for connecting with those we care about, but we discourage sponsors from trying to contact children using social media sites, like Facebook. One reason is because of our priority to ensure both their safety and privacy, as well as yours.

There are three possible reasons why you cannot contact your previous sponsored child:

1. When sponsored children leave the community, their new homes may be in an area where World Vision does not have staff to facilitate communications or their new locations are unknown.
2. When World Vision transitions out of a community because the community has become self-sufficient, our staff does not remain to facilitate communications.
3. When a child or the child’s family is no longer participating in the sponsorship program, sponsorship funds cannot support communications to them.

Please call us at 1-866-595-5550 and we will contact your sponsored child’s community to see if there is additional information available.

We have upgraded our systems in order to better protect your personal information. On July 16th, 2015 we sent an email to all donors with instructions on how to reset their login information. If you did not receive an email, or are still unable to login in please try one of the following:

• Forgot password
• Call us at 1-866-595-5550

As of July 2015, you no longer require a login name to access your account. Please enter your email address where you would have used a login name.

Note: If you cannot remember the email address you used, please call 1-866-595-5550 for assistance.

When you create a My World Vision account we need to synchronize your online account with your past records. Sometimes, due to conflicting information, we need to manually resolve the conflict. If you have recently created a My World Vision account please allow up to 5 business days for your sponsored child information and donation history to display in your account.

Note: If your account information is not displaying after 5 business days please call 1-866-595-5550 for assistance.

• If you have recently created a My World Vision account, or you have recently sponsored a child, please allow up to 5 business days for your sponsored child information and photo to display in your account.
• If there has been a recent change in your account, for example your sponsored child graduated or has moved away from the community, please allow up to 30 business days for your new sponsored child's information to display in your account.

Note: If your sponsored child information is not displaying after 5 or 30 business days, depending on your situation, please call 1-866-595-5550 for assistance.

Sending emails to your child reduces the time and the costs associated with mailing a physical letter. Other advantages include:

• Ability to upload and share photos with your sponsored child
• Instant confirmation that your email has been sent
• Track copies of all your email correspondence in one location
• Track the journey of your sponsored child response letters that will soon arrive in the mail.
• Over 10 fun email templates to choose from
• Protect your personal and private information by using our secure email system that blocks your email address from being shared with others

Note: If your sponsored child information is not displaying after 5 or 30 business days, depending on your situation, please call 1-866-595-5550 for assistance.

etter writing is a great way to get closer and stay connected to your sponsored child. Children love receiving letters, cards, and photos from their sponsors. Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing your sponsored child:

1. A one-page letter is ideal. Jot down a simple greeting and a few sentences about yourself and your family. If you have kids, ask them to add their own note or pictures.
2. If you choose to include something special, please select flat, inexpensive items that will fit in a regular 6" x 9" envelope, such as photos, stickers or pencils.
3. Write your sponsored child's name, ID and national office address on your letter. This information can be found on your worldvision.ca account in the "Connect with your Child" section, under the "Write Your Child" tab.

   Note: You can also find this information in the picture folder you received when you first sponsored your child. If you are unable to locate this information, please contact us at info@worldvision.ca or 1-866-595-5550.

4. Do not include any monies (cash or cheques) in your letters to your sponsored child.

   Note: Money can be confiscated by local customs officers and we cannot guarantee the arrival of these funds. As an alternative, we strongly recommend sending a Special Gift by clicking on the Send a Special Gift button in your worldvision.ca account. This ensures that your money is securely processed, receives a tax receipt, and most importantly, goes towards the most pressing needs in your sponsored child's community.

5. Do not send any large parcels to your sponsored child.

   Note: Many countries charge high taxes and duties for large parcels to clear customs. This expense is passed onto the local World Vision offices in your sponsored child's country. If the duties and taxes are too high, the package may not be accepted.

6. For privacy and child-protection reasons, please do not include your return address, email address, or phone number on any of your letters or correspondence with your child.
7. Depending on where your sponsored child lives, it may take up to 6 months for him or her to receive the translated version of your letter

    

Note: If you don't select a specific fundraising opportunity, the funds you raise will go to the most urgent World Vision initiative.

World Vision Canada's programs address the root causes of poverty and injustice in an integrated and holistic way. Our staff members uphold child protection by working to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children.

We promote an environment in which children, their families and communities are educated and empowered to recognize and respond to abuse and exploitation. Our work protects children from immediate danger and rehabilitates victims of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.

As part of our child protection policy, all staff members, volunteers, sponsors, partners and third-party affiliates must adhere to our child protection standards. All adults who interact with children in our programs or access their information are required to act in the best interest of the children and to follow our child protection policy.

We also review all correspondence to sponsored children to make sure the content is appropriate.

Canadian sponsors can support our child protection policies by following these principles:

• Do not share your sponsored child's full legal name, birthday, address, location or geotags with others. You may share information about your sponsored child with family members who are part of your sponsorship experience.
• Contact our sponsor visit team two to three months before visiting your sponsored child to ensure all necessary screenings and arrangements have been made.
• Send child-friendly correspondence to your sponsored children. These include cards, letters, emails, photos and packages. (Note: we review all correspondence to sponsored children to make sure it is appropriate.)

Give us a call today at 1-866-595-5550 to get your tax receipts! We're also working on a seamless online option to make access faster and easier. Stay tuned! 

In an effort to further combat fraud and minimize the risk for merchants, VISA introduced changes to the way merchant-initiated and cardholder-initiated transactions can store payment data. World Vision Canada has prepared for these changes for all credit cards. Starting August 22, 2019, you will be required to provide the security code for all new e-commerce or telephone credit card transactions. You do not have to provide the security code when providing your credit card information in written format. All existing cards already on file do not need the security code, even when updating the expiry date, until the existing card needs to be replaced or the card number is changed.

Give us a call today at 1-866-595-5550 to update your credit card or bank information. We're also working on a seamless online option to make access faster and easier. Stay tuned! 

In everything we do, we aim to find the best balance between cost, donor satisfaction and the impact of donated dollars. As a best practice, we will provide donors with prior notice before any proposed increase is implemented. We will obtain your consent to any increase in your monthly sponsorship amount through an ‘opt-out’ process. This means that if you receive World Vision Canada’s notice of an increase and want to participate, there is nothing further required from you. If you don’t want to participate, simply indicate so by using one of the easy ‘opt-out’ options that will be provided. As always, if you wish to stop your sponsorship, you may do so at any time.

You are a highly valued child supporter and we are here to serve you. Our team can help you make the best decision to suit your changing circumstances, including discontinuing your sponsorship or monthly donation. We would like to share some important information about the options available to you, that may allow you to continue impacting the lives of vulnerable children around the world.

Please call us at 1-866-619-2226 to let us know that you need to cancel. We look forward to helping you.

Sponsorship is a process of helping communities become self-sufficient. When that happens, your sponsored child’s community is in an exciting transition—local leaders, organizations, children and families are ready to move forward on their own. They now have access to essentials like quality education, health care, clean water, and improved nutrition. You’ve contributed to long-lasting changes and progress!

We look for solid evidence, through formal reports and strict metrics, that the people are significantly stronger than when we began – not just as individuals, but as groups, associations and networks. We must be confident the community can continue to move forward without us – sustaining and even improving on what we’ve built together.

The community has clearly demonstrated a readiness to meet children’s needs without our assistance. With essentials now available, your sponsored child and the community will continue to develop independently. Many former sponsored children continue their education and pursue a wide variety of careers.

The goals has always been to help the community become self-sufficient. Families need and deserve the chance to see themselves as self-reliant – not depending forever on charity. Only then can they experience the sense of dignity to which they are entitled. Now in the hands of the community, World Vision has put in place infrastructure and life essentials to ensure all children will continue to thrive without the sponsorship program.

Since World Vision is transitioning out of the community, we will no longer be able to able to facilitate letters and emails. As part of our child protection and privacy policies signed with the families, we do not share or exchange private addresses of sponsored children – as well as sponsors. The goodbye may be difficult for the child you’ve supported, and for you. But your sponsored child needs to know that her own family and community can meet her needs. Make sure you continue to read emails and mails we send so you don’t miss the deadline to send your final farewell to the child.

The impact of sponsorship is life-changing. We want you to have the opportunity to make a difference for another child! When your sponsored child’s community graduates, we will present you another child from a community at an earlier phase of development who will benefit from your support. We will find you a child that has similar qualities as your previous one or based on a previous preference you may have had in the past. In presenting you with another child during the community graduation process we can reduce administrative costs, such as postage and printing for a later mailing communication to you. Thus, allowing more money to go to the programs in communities we are still partnering towards their own graduation.

We’re happy to help you choose your new sponsored child. The easiest way is by logging into your own online account at My World Vision by September 25th so you can see a photo and/or a video of a new child to sponsor. You can also call us at 1.800.714.3371.

If we don’t hear from you by September 25th, we will continue your sponsorship with the child presented so you don’t experience any interruption.

In a word, need. There is such a great need for children and families living in poverty to have their voices heard. But also… we need YOU! Our volunteers give their time and lend a variety of skills to the cause, helping more Canadians to learn about the work of World Vision and sharing the opportunity to make a difference.

This website has the most comprehensive information about all our volunteer opportunities. Please take some time to read through and investigate the many ways you can use your skills to make an impact. We want to help you find the best fit given your skills, interest and time.

Yes! Our Pack It Forward program is the perfect fit for Canadian companies! Together with our partner, Kits for a Cause, we will bring our volunteer kit packing experience to your office. Contact us to learn more about this fun employee engagement opportunity.

Once you fill out the application form, our volunteer coordinators work hard to assess the best fit. In some cases, reference checks and interviews are required. We will contact you once your application has been fully processed. You can expect to hear from us within 10-15 days from the date you submit your application.

3 Reasons:

1. World Vision Canada is committed to helping you find the best fit and volunteer opportunity.
2. It is important to us to assemble the very best team of volunteers we can.
3. Our responsibility to our donors and the children we serve is important to us. Our application process helps us accomplish these goals. ​​​​​

We are happy to have youth volunteers looking to fulfill their high school community service hours join us!

We will send your items by mail, within 7 to 10 business days. There is no cost charged to you for shipping and handling.

To notify your honoree, you can choose between 3 options:

1) E-card: email your friends and loved ones, along with a personalized message.

2) Print Your Own: select a themed greeting card to print at home and personalize with your own message.

3) Card mailed to you: send a greeting card to let a friend or loved one know that a gift has been given in their name.

When you send a gift catalogue e-card, World Vision will copy you on the e-card that was sent to your honouree. You can keep the copy of the email for your records and/or use it to forward to your honouree if they didn't receive the e-card (e.g. if the incorrect email address was entered or if the e-card was sent to their spam folder, etc.).

Yes, it is. When you select an item found in the Gift Catalogue, for example a goat, someone within the communities where we work will receive a goat.

The costs are based on an average. As could be expected, the prices of specific items vary between countries. For example, a goat in one country may be more or less expensive than a goat in another. There are places also that could be in a very remote location, or experiencing high inflation. In these regions, the cost of the item may be more expensive than the donation listed in the Gift Catalogue. In these instances, World Vision funds the difference from other sources, to ensure that the item is procured and delivered. As all items in the Gift Catalogue reflect real needs in our communities, we see the value of this subsidy in the context of our long-term development work.

If there is money left over from the purchase of an item in the field, the additional money would go towards providing more of that same item. For example, if a goat costs $95 and the donation was $100, the other $5 would go towards purchasing another goat that has been pre-committed for the project. The donation amounts listed beside an item shown in the Gift Catalogue reflect the average cost of providing those items in the field. This amount is based on historical field data. But, as could be expected, the costs of specific items vary between countries.

One of our core values centres around stewardship, using donors’ money wisely, and to do so in a transparent and accountable way. We work hard to ensure that what is being promised to our supporters is actually happening in the field. Each project must include a detailed budget and outline of how funds are intended to be used. Project leaders are also required to supply a detailed report every year articulating how the money was used.

All items featured in the catalogue have been selected in consultation with people from communities where we work. Communities determine what is most appropriate for this situation and context. However, there are some items in the Gift Catalogue that our overseas partners have identified as Most Needed. These items include: Agricultural Packs, Clean Water Fund and Stock A Medical Clinic, among others.

World Vision works with community leaders to develop a fair system for distributing items. In most cases, your gift is part of a larger program in which a number of families and community members receive similar items. The community decides what might best help them. See Are Some Gift items better than others?, for more information.

Items you choose are purchased locally. This ensures the products (for example, fruit trees) are well suited to the local environment and helps support the local economy, while keeping transportation costs to a minimum.

Unfortunately, we cannot designate who will get your gift, or target a gift to a particular community or a particular sponsored child. To allow this would present procurement, management and tracking challenges that also add significant cost to the item, which prohibits strategic use of the funds.

However, by purchasing "Gift for your Sponsored Child's Community", your gift of $50 or more will be pooled together with gifts from other sponsors with children in the same community to provide things like educational materials, training for teachers and more for the whole community. Your name or donor ID will be used to ensure that this special gift is matched with your sponsored child's community. In addition, you are free to send your sponsored child small gifts that can fit into an envelope, such as stickers, colouring books etc.

Additionally, if you sponsor more than one child, the money will be split between all your sponsored children's communities.

Everyone! At World Vision we encourage everyone to participate in transforming the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children. Although, if you are under 13 years of age, first check with your parents or guardians.

For information regarding the exchange of Gift Catalogue artisan gifts or apparel, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-844-7993.

Artisan gifts and apparel purchases are nonrefundable. Any returns made to World Vision Canada will not be eligible for a refund.

If you have received a damaged product, or you’re missing a product, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-844-7993, and we will assist you with getting the item(s) replaced. For further information, please visit our Terms and Conditions.

Yes, we’ll mail you a receipt for your gift to World Vision. Your gifts are tax-deductible, excluding the amount for shipping and handling charges or the fair market value for any items, if applicable.

Of the 160 million child labourers around the world, 79 million are engaged in dirty, dangerous and degrading work. These are the worst forms of child labour, involving hazardous working conditions that endanger the health, safety or moral development of a child.

The worst forms of child labour can also include night work, work with heavy machinery, work for excessively long hours, or work that takes place underground or underwater. Approximately 4.3 million children work in forced labour, which includes children in situations of debt bondage, slavery and commercial sexual exploitation.

Unsafe child labour practices are defined in part by the number of working hours for a specific child’s age. Unsafe child labour includes:

• Any of the worst forms of child labour
• Any labour performed by a child under the age of 12
• More than 14 hours of work, per week, by a child aged 12-14
• More than 43 hours of work, per week, by a child aged 15-17

We understand that for many families, children must work in order to contribute to the family’s income or workload. Our aim is not to eliminate all child labour, but to address the worst forms of child labour – specifically dirty, dangerous and degrading work. We believe that no child should be placed in hazardous work environments that compromise their physical, emotional, social and spiritual development.

If a child must work, their work environment should be safe and supervised, with schedules that allow for them to attend school, get proper rest and have sufficient time for social development.

Unfortunately, yes. According to research conducted in 2016, more than 1,200 companies operating in Canada are known to be importing goods at a high risk of being produced by a child or through forced labour. The majority of these companies are disclosing very little, if any, information on the policies, practices and processes they have in place to address these risks.

This means that the average Canadian is likely to be connected to child labour through the everyday products we buy and consume.

Most children in Canada who help their parents – on farms and in other family businesses – do so after school in safe, supervised environments. They have enough time to do their homework, play with friends and get a full night’s sleep. This is what we want for all kids, regardless of where in the world they live.

Yes. Australia, the Netherlands, France and the state of California have all advanced legislation. These new laws require companies to post comprehensive statements outlining the steps they have taken to address child and forced labour in their supply chains.

In 2015, the UK introduced its Transparency in Supply Chains provision as part of its Modern Slavery Act. This simple reporting requirement in the law provides consumers with the information they need to make ethical purchasing decisions.

The legislation is already driving significant corporate change in the UK, including:

• A doubling of CEO engagement on modern slavery issues
• New policies and systems being implemented by 39% of companies
• A dramatic increase in communication between 58% of companies and their suppliers
• Greater collaboration between 50% of companies and their stakeholders to take action against modern slavery

Canada is a leader in promoting the respect and dignity of all people, regardless of where they live. But we’re not yet doing our part to call for greater transparency in global supply chains. With a growing number of jurisdictions taking legislative action, it’s time for Canada to join the list of countries with transparency laws to become a global leader in addressing child and forced labour around the world.

Be on the lookout for the following symbols:

Where these symbols are used, a company has been independently verified to meet the standards for Fairtrade International Certified, Fairtrade USA Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, UTZ Certified and Fair for Life Certified products. When this isn’t available, engage with the brands you buy and the places you shop. Inquire about whether their products and supply chains are free of child labour.

You can join thousands of other Canadians in calling on our government for greater supply chain transparency, which enables us all to be better informed about the products we buy and consume.

A supply chain is the system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from the supplier to the customer. Supply chains can include many touchpoints and be very difficult to follow. For example, a shoe might have its sole glued on in one factory, travel elsewhere to get laces, be packaged in a different facility and make a few additional stops before being shipped to Canada. A child labourer involved in any step of this lengthy process can connect the product, and the consumer, to child labour.

With more than 79 million children globally working in dirty, dangerous and degrading jobs, child labour still runs rampant in our world today. The numbers are staggering and demonstrate the size and scope of the problem. Because so many of the products in Canada come from other countries where children are engaged in the worst forms of child labour, Canadians have an opportunity to help address the problem – both as consumers and as advocates.

No. Supply Chain Transparency legislation would simply implement a reporting requirement to help Canadians make more informed, ethical decisions about what they buy and who they buy from. The legislation would not limit operations, dictate specific actions, or require the disclosure of proprietary information.

The legislation would only apply to large corporations that have the capacity and resources to meet the requirements and create effective change within their supply chains. Most importantly, it would apply universally to all large corporations operating in Canada – not only corporations headquartered in Canada. Many major corporations, including Amazon, IKEA and Marks & Spencer, have voiced their support for this type of legislation in the UK.

We want to inspire your church to go deeper in their relationships and faith, using Chosen as a powerful reminder that Jesus also chose us out of His great love. Invite your congregation to experience this powerful, life-changing transformation through joining together in the lives of children, communities, and their futures. See what God’s love can do when your church rallies around the same cause and community through Chosen.

Since 1953, World Vision has been inviting people to step into a relationship by sponsoring a child in the developing world. Traditionally, this means selecting a child’s profile, online or in-person. With Chosen child sponsorship, each child is empowered to choose their own sponsor from amongst the photos of those in your congregation who accepted the invitation and say, 'I want to be chosen!' This creates closer relationships; and offers children the chance to have real choices, and a voice for lasting change.

We have found churches that have engaged in sponsorship before, LOVE the Chosen model, as they see deeper engagement and strong response by those new to sponsorship and those already engaged. It allows all involved to be seen and heard. It reminds us of God’s love, our greater purpose and helps us experience the fullness of life Jesus mentioned in John 10:10 "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Chosen works on a hybrid model and we can accommodate either digital or in person as needed. When we originally test launched in 2019, we believed Chosen would change the future of the churches and of hundreds of thousands of children and their communities. NOW we believe more than ever that this LIGHT and LIFE is needed in our churches here in Canada AND in the areas hit toughest by poverty and by the global food crisis.

Yes! After you fill out the form (link to new site), we will get in touch to share more about Chosen to answer any questions you may have and come alongside you as you prepare for this life changing experience.