How Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia Helps Children Through Sponsorship?

A bright future for every child is a universal dream. However, for thousands of children in Indonesia—particularly those living in remote and marginalised regions—this dream is often hindered by various challenges, ranging from poverty and a lack of access to education and healthcare to issues regarding child protection.

This is where the crucial role of a humanitarian organisation becomes truly significant. One organisation that has dedicated itself to this noble mission is Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI), a Christian humanitarian social foundation striving to create sustainable change in the lives of children, families, and communities.

For over 25 years, Wahana Visi Indonesia has been at the forefront of aiding children in Indonesia. One of its most renowned and impactful flagship initiatives is the child sponsorship programme.

This programme is not merely a standard donation activity; rather, it is a bond of love and a long-term commitment between a sponsor, a child, and their community. Sponsorship allows sponsors to participate directly in the transformation of a child’s life, offering them hope, joy, and justice, until they grow into adults who can share the same with others.

Through this programme, Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia believes that every child has the right to live life in all its fullness, and realising this dream is a shared responsibility.

A Distinct Sponsorship Philosophy: More Than Just a Donation

The child sponsorship run by Wahana Visi Indonesia holds a unique and profound philosophy. Unlike one-off donations that are often temporary, sponsorship is a sustained relationship. The donations provided by sponsors are not handed directly to the child in cash.

Instead, these contributions are managed by Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia into various structured and measurable community development programmes. This approach ensures that the aid provided not only solves short-term problems but also empowers the child and their community to create continuous change.

In this programme, every single sponsored child benefits four other children in the same community. This is a highly effective model for creating optimal impact. Sponsorship funds are used to support various programmes in key sectors, such as:

• Education: Ensuring children have access to quality education, providing school supplies, and improving learning facilities.

• Health: Providing nutritional intervention, clean water and sanitation, as well as improving the quality of healthcare services at the Posyandu (Integrated Healthcare Centre).

• Child Protection: Protecting children from violence, exploitation, and neglect, whilst ensuring children's rights are fulfilled.

• Family Economic Development: Assisting the families of sponsored children to secure a stable income so they can become independent and provide for their children's basic needs.

This holistic approach ensures that children are not only helped individually but also grow within a supportive environment. Thus, Wahana Visi Indonesia does not just help one child; it creates change across the entire community, severing the cycle of poverty at its roots.

Becoming Part of the Change: A Simple and Transparent Process

Becoming a child sponsor with Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia is an easy and transparent process. Prospective sponsors can visit the official website to choose a child they wish to sponsor. Once selected, they will complete a registration form with personal data and donation details. The minimum contribution required is Rp 250,000 per month—an affordable amount that nonetheless makes an extraordinarily large impact on a child's life.

Once registration is complete, sponsors will receive a Welcome Pack containing the sponsored child’s photo and profile, a programme guide, and information regarding the assisted region. This marks the beginning of a meaningful journey.

Wahana Visi Indonesia strongly encourages communication between the sponsor and the sponsored child. Sponsors can send letters, cards, or even gifts on special occasions such as birthdays or festive holidays. A reply from the sponsored child, such as an introductory letter, serves to forge a close and heartwarming bond.

One of the innovative features offered by Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia is a specialist portal named MYSPONSORSHIP. This portal is designed to facilitate sponsors in monitoring the progress of their sponsored child, sending and receiving letters, and obtaining routine reports regarding programme progress in the assisted regions. Consequently, sponsors can see firsthand how their donations are working to deliver real impact.

“Chosen”: When the Child Chooses the Sponsor

In an effort to further empower children, Wahana Visi Indonesia launched a revolutionary programme named "Chosen." Unlike standard sponsorship programmes where the sponsor selects the child, in "Chosen," the children are given the opportunity to choose who will become their sponsor. This programme shifts the perspective from the child as an object awaiting aid to a subject with a voice and a choice regarding their future.

In the "Chosen" programme, prospective sponsors send their photos to Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia, which are then taken to the assisted regions. The children there gather and collectively select the photo of the sponsor who will accompany them on their life’s journey. This concept not only instils a sense of pride and ownership in the children but also strengthens the bond between sponsor and child.

Selected sponsors feel that they are not merely providing aid, but have been chosen and trusted by a child to become a part of their life. The "Chosen" programme is tangible proof of Wahana Visi Indonesia’s commitment to placing child participation at the core of all its programmes.

Sustainable Transformation: Real Stories from the Field

The impact of the Wahana Visi Indonesia sponsorship programme can be seen through various real stories from the field. In the region of East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, for instance, sponsor support has paved the way for many children to receive a better education. In Sekadau, West Kalimantan, the sponsorship programme has successfully transformed children's lives by ensuring their rights are met and that they are actively involved in children's groups.

Aid from sponsors is not merely material, but also provides invaluable moral support. A sponsored child named Magdalena in Sintang, West Kalimantan, felt deeply how the letters from her sponsor gave her hope and motivation to keep striving. This story demonstrates that sponsorship is an emotional bridge connecting two different worlds, creating a relationship full of love and mutual support.

Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia also continues to strive to address various other complex issues, such as stunting and malnutrition, providing access to clean water, and facilitating family economic development through its programmes.

Thanks to the support of sponsors, WVI has successfully assisted over 85,000 children across 67 regions in Indonesia, with more than 8,000 individual sponsors from Indonesia and 11 other countries. These figures are not just statistics; they are tangible proof of the kindness that continues to flow, offering new hope.

A Long-Term Commitment for Genuine Change

Wahana Visi Indonesia’s commitment to this sponsorship programme is long-term, lasting until the sponsored child graduates from secondary school or reaches the age of 18. This approach ensures that children have stable support during the crucial periods of their growth and development. In doing so, they have a greater opportunity to become independent and empowered individuals in the future.

The vision of Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia is "For Every Child, Life in All Its Fullness." This vision serves as the foundation for every step taken, every programme run, and every interaction forged. Donations and sponsorship are among the most effective ways to realise this vision, as they allow individuals to contribute directly to meaningful and sustainable change.

We at Wahana Visi Indonesia firmly believe that every child possesses extraordinary potential. That potential simply needs to be given the opportunity to flourish. Through the sponsorship programme, you are not only providing aid but also opening a door for a child to reach for their dreams, become a resilient individual, and bring positive change to their community. This sponsorship programme is, truly, the best investment for the nation’s future.

Join Us

We at Yayasan Wahana Visi Indonesia have been part of the journey for thousands of children across Indonesia. For over two decades, we have witnessed how hope can grow amidst challenges, how joy can be found in every small step, and how justice can be realised through collaboration and care. We cannot do all of this alone. Every achievement, every smile, and every dream realised is thanks to the extraordinary support of sponsors who entrust their donations to us.

If you have the determination to be part of this change, to provide hope, joy, and justice for a child, we invite you to become a sponsor. Together with Wahana Visi Indonesia, you are not just making a donation, but becoming a friend, a mentor, and an inspiration for a child. The kindness you give will become a priceless legacy, a story that will change a child’s life forever.

Be part of our movement. Visit our official website at wahanavisi.org and begin your sponsorship journey today. Together, we can ensure that every child in Indonesia gets the chance to live life in all its fullness.