Have you ever wondered, "Does child sponsorship really make a difference?" The answer is a powerful YES! Sponsorship isn't just about financial support—it's about breaking the cycle of poverty and protecting children from trafficking by tackling the root causes of their vulnerability.
In India, human trafficking is the second-largest form of organized crime, with a staggering 38.3% increase over the past five years. Every year, around 135,000 children are trafficked, trapped in a nightmare of exploitation and abuse.
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners"
Isaiah 61:1
Amulya's Story
At just 14, Amulya lives with her mother and five siblings in a remote village in India. After her father died from exhaustion while trying to support them, her mother was left overwhelmed and desperate. Struggling to make ends meet, she sent Amulya to work as a maid with no other choice.
Each day, Amulya endured relentless physical, emotional, and mental abuse. Her abusers saw it fit to treat her in whatever way they wished, stripping away her dignity and hope.
When the Light a Candle team met Amulya’s family, we learned she had stopped attending school to earn money so her siblings could eat. We immediately told her to return to school the next day and got her sponsored.
Addressing the crisis:
Light a Candle operates in the states with the 2nd + 3rd highest child trafficking in all of India.
Leading causes of trafficking:
- Caste (Untouchables)
- Inherited debt
- Extreme Poverty
- No Education
The most prevalent forms of trafficking in the villages LAC operates in:
- Forced Servitude:
- In homes
- Agricultural
- Factories
- Brick Kilns
- Bonded Labor
- Sex Slavery
- Temple Prostitution
- Forced Child Marriages
- Organ Trafficking
One of our Indian team members put it starkly: "It’s an open secret—everyone knows it happens, but no one wants to talk about it." Many villages where we work have never received help, while others haven’t received it in decades. Without help, children are left exposed and helpless, unable to escape the problem.
The Impact of Sponsorship:
When a child is sponsored, the funds are allocated to meet their needs. Of the $49, $45 directly supports that child. This includes food, education, and medical care.
When a child becomes sponsored, their family’s worries about how to provide for them are no longer. This support lifts the heavy burden from their parents, freeing them from the heart-wrenching choice of having to sell their child just to secure enough food. Instead, they can embrace hope and envision a brighter future, knowing their child is cared for.
Best of all, they experience their Heavenly Father's unending love for them.
How you can make a difference today!
sponsor a child
We have more than 100 children waiting right now for a sponsor! For $49/mo you provide high quality food, an education, medical care and so much more for a specific child. Each one worthy of love and support! Learn more here or click the button to sponsor.
no child left behind FUND
The NCLBF provides food and medical care to children waiting to be sponsored. To date is has provided nearly 60,000 meals!
Select "No Child Left Behind Fund" from the dropdown
IndiaN Distribution Centre
This Indian Distribution Centre will be the hub for our entire sponsorship program! As a warehouse, we can buy supplies in bulk to fight inflation, increasing the privacy and security of all of our operations. It will also serve as a training facility to train pastors in the underground church and so much more!
Select "Indian Distribution Center" from the dropdown
