Child Sponsorship Program
Global Sponsor Sites
Kenya Mission
Since 2017, ANCOP International Canada has supported Kenya in securing education for many less fortunate children through the ANCOP Canada CSP program in 3 ANCOP CSP sponsor sites: Nairobi, Mombasa & Kisumu metropolitan areas, working with different dioceses, parishes, congregations and foundations.
In the Nairobi metro area, ANCOP Canada has partnered with the Archdiocese of Nairobi helping 10 vocational students and 20 elementary & high school scholars; Christ the King parish, Embakasi aiding 50 students; St Joachim and St Ann parish in Soweto, aiding 36 scholars; Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ, Community of Hope Care Centre for OVC, Thika helping 40 scholars; SFIC sponsoring 93 students from Narok and 28 in vocational schools; 20 students from East Pokot & 21 scholars from the Lillian foundation. ANCOP Canada also sponsors poor seminarian education through the Diocese of Nakuru (19 major seminarians), and the Passionist Fathers (15 major seminarians).
The ANCOP Canada child sponsorship runs across Kenya, covering the Kisumu metro area with partnerships concluded with the Dioceses of Homabay--Rongo with 50 junior seminarians; Mbita with 46 scholars; Kakrigu with 20 scholars; the Bishop’s office with 15 scholars and Kehancha with 50 scholars. The Catholic Diocese of Kitale is the other diocese under this metro area that has 20 sponsored children, and the Verona fathers in West Pokot helping 15 scholars. In Eldoret Diocese, ANCOP Canada aids 32 major seminarians; Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ in sponsoring 20 scholars in Madonna; St.Brendan Technical Training college with 20 students; Moi’s bridge parish, 42 scholars and St. Anne small homes in Matunda with 26 disabled children; and the Diocese of Lodwar with 30 pupils.
In the Mombasa metropolitan area, ANCOP Canada has partnered with various institutions: Franciscan Capucchins, in Hola to help 37 students, Consolata Fathers, Likoni to sponsor 46 scholars spread out through Malindi, Machakos, Nairobi & Kitui counties respectively; Sisters of Joseph, Mombasa to aid 35 scholars in Maungu, and Maktau Catholic Parish to sponsor 16 scholars
The ANCOP Canada CSP fund helps support much needed scholar expenses including school fees, lunch meals and school uniforms. The ANCOP scholars remain in school and are not chased away due to school fees arrears. Parents are less anxious because of the help ANCOP Canada provides, and the students can concentrate more on their studies, resulting in improved performance. The social upside also includes reduction in early childhood pregnancies and marriages, seen in the pastoral areas like East Pokot, West Pokot and Lodwar.
In these ANCOP Sponsor sites, the ANCOP scholar community guardians are generally priests, nuns and religious, who care for and engage both the children & their parents. They follow up on the academic performance of the scholars and bring the parents on board when there are issues. These religious community guardians are instrumental in bringing all the parents on board, including ensuring these parents undergo the ANCOP values formation program.
In other areas like Soweto & the Archdiocese of Nairobi, the diocese engages a social worker who does home visits and child / parent follow ups. The ANCOP area coordinator makes periodic visits to the sites, meets the children, parents and the community guardians.
The ANCOP CSP sponsorship and the intervention from the dioceses and priests have helped keep these scholars in school. The aspiration is that what ANCOP Canada is doing will impact the country positively. There is hope in the future as many of these ANCOP Canada scholars will help their poor families, as well as do their share in alleviating poverty in the communities at large.
The ANCOP CSP program has helped close to 1,000 poor beneficiaries in the Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa metropolitan areas, with children, youth and seminarians at various stages of their much-valued education! The potential to help more impoverished children in Kenya is huge! ANCOP Canada, together with its dedicated site partners, is committed to helping transform children and family lives in the poor districts of Kenya.
Eastern India
Sponsor Site Guardian: Archbishop John Barwa SVD & Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, Odisha
The Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in Eastern India has received continued support from ANCOP International Canada by way of the ANCOP Child Sponsorship Program (CSP). This ANCOP Education Support Fund helps over 500 children coming from socially, economically and culturally backward communities in Eastern India. The Child sponsorship program continues to make quality education accessible and affordable to these deserving children.
The ANCOP CSP has resulted in marked improvement in the academic performance and attendance in school of these poor children who have otherwise no chance to get basic education. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in the school dropouts in these poor communities. Our site guardian Archbishop Barwa attests to the very apparent behavioural changes and growing interest in school studies amongst the sponsored children. Parents of these poor children are happy to have this support because it reduces the economic burden on their family and provides hope and the chance for that child to thrive.
The ANCOP Canada-sponsored children have access to education, supplemental nutrition, medical checkups, and ongoing welfare support on a regular basis that helps for their holistic growth and development. This too encourages them to make a commitment for tomorrow.
Archbishop Barwa, our site guardian, is very hopeful that the ANCOP Child Education programme will position these young children for lifelong success, breaking the cycle of poverty and illiteracy among the backward and marginalized communities in the Archdiocese. He is also confident that once these kids complete their education, they can be of tremendous help in giving back to their community, to help others in the Archdiocese in need.
A key part of the ANCOP Child Education program is a values and faith formation program, not just for the children, but for the beneficiary parents. These parent / couples undergo a faith formation workshop series, that help shape positive behaviour and good values, helping realize their life in the family and their role in the society they live in. Because of this formation, both wife and husband learn that they are called to live a united life in the family remembering the covenant they had taken during the time of marriage. The sponsored ANCOP children get together twice a year together with parents and engage in team activities. Children and parents come to know other persons by their group interaction, which helps them feel oneness in Christ through ANCOP.
At present there are 512 couples in Odisha and 145 couples at the Kunkuri diocese in the state of Chatisgarh, all of them active in the community.
Archbishop Barwa has expressed a deep sense of gratitude to ANCOP Canada for its kind support and collaboration.
Myanmar
Sponsor Site Guardian: Freddy Soe Naing, CFC Myanmar Mandalay
The ANCOP-CFC Myanmar team is a newly formed site sponsored by ANCOP Canada, supporting children for child education.
Currently, there are 25 ANCOP child scholars for 2019-2020 school year--- 5 primary and middle school children, 10 high school children and 10 university and vocational students. These ANCOP sponsored children’s parents have completed the Christian life formation program. Active parental support for these sponsored children is prominent in the community, helping shape the child’s upbringing.
The families are hampered by limited means and low income, in carrying their but have shown great commitment in sharing the burden of educating their children.
The older sponsored scholars get a good opportunity to attend vocational courses like repairing mobile phones, machinery and engineering courses. Through these vocational programs, these kids will be able to stand on their own feet when their respective courses are over, with assured sources of livelihood.
The ANCOP-CFC Myanmar Team is happy to be able to help the children through this kind of participation. The support team are hopeful that these children will be able to help the community, and their own families,
It has been very uplifting for our community guardian, Freddy Soe Naing, to see both parents and children interact during the value formation program. The children are happy and thankful for being able not only to lighten their parents’ burden but also to study without worrying too much about provisions.
The children are also provided health care support, including hygiene and self sanitary protection. Through this ANCOP education scholarship, both the children and their parents have become more diligent in their faith formation and in active involvement with the community activities. These scholars are likewise very active in parish activities. A case in point is that during this pandemic, these young children have been very helpful in distributing food and materials for health care in their respective parishes as volunteers. They have been very active and alert, providing great help to the parish.
There are so many children in this part of Myanmar who are not being well cared for by their parents and neighbours for so many reasons. In Freddy’s words, ANCOP Canada and its partners and donors have been very generous, and are committed to increase its support in the coming school year. The ANCOP-CFC Myanmar team are very happy and thankful to all the ANCOP Canada donors for making it possible to improve the lives and outlook of the communities they support.
Philippines
Partnerships with Orphanages & Religious / Civic Institutions
ANCOP International Canada partners with St Martin de Porres orphanage in one of the most poverty-stricken slum areas in the Philippines --- in Tondo Manila, home to the ‘Smokey Mountain’ towering garbage dump which has gained global notoriety. The orphanage works to care for and serve poor beneficiaries through the ANCOP education sponsorship program in these distressed slum communities. The ANCOP sponsorship funds provide for tuition fees, food and transport allowances and basic supplies to get these poor orphaned children to school and provide for their fundamental needs. Tutorials and social development programs are part of this ANCOP education sponsorship program benefits.
ANCOP Canada also partners with socio-civic centres. One such institutional partner is the Immaculate Mary Queen of Heaven (IMQH) in Cebu, Southern Philippines, being operated by missionary nuns. ANCOP Canada works with IMQH by providing for an ANCOP education sponsorship fund to help execute a viable education program for disadvantaged youth, enabling them to complete their secondary education. A number of the sponsored youth are wayward kids who have ended up as prostitutes in order to make a living for themselves and their families. The IMQH missionary nuns identify and pull these wayward youth from the prostitution rings, giving them a safe haven and a dignified path back to a straight life through education. Many of these sponsored youth have completed their secondary education and are on their way to a college education; others pursue technical and vocational courses in order to seek jobs and support their families.
Uganda Mission
Sponsor Site Guardian: Bro Twesigomwe Augustus
Like many parts of Africa, countless children and youth are experiencing a lot of hardships, which has been aggravated by the growing Covid-19 pandemic, creating a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in this African community.
ANCOP International Canada has partnered with St Pius X Parish Masajja, the Archdiocese of Kampala in Uganda to help in the education of youth. The Education Sponsorship fund has been extended to this sponsor site, To-date, this ANCOP Education fund is providing help for 25 youth members to support their education, and give their families hope for a brighter future. The impact has been felt strongly, especially in the growing positive attitude and motivation of the newly-sponsored youth and their poor families.
Our Sponsor guardian in Uganda, Bro. Augustus Twesigomwe, who has been providing caring and direction to these young Ugandans, said: “We are humbled by this gesture and help from ANCOP Canada, and we do not take it for granted. We continue to pray to God to let his mercy be upon them and take them through this traumatizing period of Covid-19. I wish you and your families joy, peace and God`s blessings.”
Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society.
- Pope Francis