France Parrainages Helping vulnerable children plan their future with support from a sponsor

Offering children the opportunity to grow up in better conditions

In France, the association is a model for setting up local sponsorships. Sponsorship gives children emotional and educational support by creating special, lasting relationships with adults they would not have met otherwise. The sponsors’ commitment to children opens up their social and cultural horizons, allowing them to widen their circle of relations, enjoy everyday experiences they could not have had otherwise and find new bearings. The relationship helps children develop and contributes to social harmony. Most of them are between two and 18 years old. Some are in foster care or group homes; others live with their families, often isolated and headed by a single parent.

Local sponsorship, an innovative solution

Recent studies have shown that sponsorship has positive effects. The children say that, in addition to enjoying and sharing good times, sponsorship has opened them up to other horizons, supported them in hard times, helped them make important choices, aided them with their schooling, built greater self-confidence and instilled the desire to have a family and a successful career. In the long term, it was found that sponsored youth were significantly better integrated into the workforce than non-sponsored foster children. They are also less likely to go on welfare. Although local sponsorship has proven to be effective, it is still underdeveloped in France and many children are waiting for a sponsor. The association continues working with local officials and the general public to spread the word about this solution, which helps children find their bearings and points them towards a better future. Since 2015, the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation has worked with France Parrainages supporting its development projects. Today, France Parrainages backs 851 local sponsorships in 11 French departments.