Haibala Shamiru
Date of Birth: 17 May
Age: 13 years
Location: Jinja District, Uganda
Haibala Shamiru is a bright nine-year-old boy from Jinja District who dreams of returning to school and building a better future. Joel currently does not attend school because his family struggles to meet basic household needs and education expenses. He enjoys playing football, helping with simple household activities, and spending time with other children in his community.
His dream is to become a teacher so he can help children who face challenges like his. Sponsoring Joel can provide school fees, uniforms, learning materials, nutritious meals, and essential care, giving him the opportunity to learn and grow. His journey can also inspire other vulnerable children to believe that education, hope, and determination can open doors to brighter futures.
Common Sponsorship Questions
What tangible benefits does the child receive from sponsorship?
Your donations provide your sponsored child with critically needed services. These vary from community to community, because we work directly with local organizations and parent committees to identify and offer the services that address the most pressing needs of that community. Typically, interventions include family-oriented projects that promote access to health care, safe water, nutrition, education and training programs. You’ll learn the specifics of our work in your sponsored child’s community through annual progress reports and direct communication from your child. And remember, your child is not the only one to benefit. We combine donations from all sponsors to benefit children, their families and their communities.
How is my sponsorship donation spent?
We pool sponsorship donations and use them to operate community-based programs implemented by our local partner organizations. We have chosen to work through local partners because we believe local ownership of change is fundamental to the social change process. Local partners are responsible for delivering the programs and services that children need at different stages of their lives, and the pooled funds allow them to serve children, families and their communities most effectively. Through these partnerships, we reache children directly while also involving parents, teachers, local governments and larger systems in upholding children’s rights to health, nutrition, safety, education and more.
After your sponsorship donation, write to us at abdielinz98@gmail.com
How are these children chosen?
In all the communities we serves, we work through local organizations. These local partners seek out the most vulnerable children in their communities ― those who are not already receiving assistance from another organization ― and then they try to saturate the area by assisting as many families as possible. To prevent discrimination or preferential treatment, our local partners post eligibility requirements publicly. And they involve parents in the enrollment process. Parents must consent to their child’s active participation in our programs. As our local partners conduct area assessments to determine the number of vulnerable families in their communities, they evaluate potential children based on …
- economic need (defined in monetary terms, amount of possessions or access to essential services).
- age (children must be no older than 13 at the time of enrollment).
- proximity to the program sites (to ensure full participation in ChildFund’s activities).
- family integration into the local community (to ensure commitment and retention).
- level of impact from HIV and AIDS, such as AIDS orphans or children of HIV+ parents.
Children cannot be discriminated against based on religion, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, language, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age or political conviction.
Will I be this child's only sponsor?
Absolutely, as long as you continue to contribute. Once you’re matched with a child, he or she is no longer visible on our public website. Inconistent donations to a specific child will make the child visible to other sponsors.
If you selected a child online, you will also receive an email confirmation that includes a photo and a brief description of this child, normally within 24-48 hours. (The delay is due to the time necessary for processing your first donation.)
