UK Charity Commission Registration Number 1120536

Sponsorship Examples

An update on progress is given at the bottom of the page

Sponsorship through Little Stars falls into two categories: sponsorship of individual children and sponsorship of families through the provision of monthly food parcels. The children in need of sponsorship are either orphaned, abandoned, disabled or have been disadvantaged in some way through extreme poverty or injury. They live in various care homes in Luxor and in its remoter village areas. Although there can be terrible hardships, each child is being brought up in its own culture so that when the child reaches adulthood it will still fit into its own society and there will be no extra stigma attached to it.

The case study information given below may show just how great the needs are.

Children in Need

A. Orphaned Children

Few of the ‘orphaned’ children in Luxor are actually orphaned. Many of them are simply abandoned at birth by young women who cannot face the family shame of being an unmarried mother or the vengeance of an honour killing. Often the babies are left in apartment blocks that are still under construction; some have been attacked by dogs or nibbled by rats.

These babies are spread across various orphanages which are all in desperate need of finance. Sponsoring an orphaned or abandoned child can give it a future that will overcome its past.

B. Disabled Children

Disabled children seldom fare well in third world countries where there is often prejudice and misunderstanding about their condition. Through ignorance many children are kept in appalling conditions and some have even been kept in cages or beaten to keep them under control. Abuse is common as families fail to cope. A beaten child who already has disabilities is in grave need of both medical and emotional therapy.

Luxor has few homes for the disabled and those few that do exist are seriously under-funded and under-equipped. Sponsoring a disabled child will ensure that the needs of these children will be taken care of.

C. Disadvantaged children

There are children in the community who are genuinely orphaned and are in the care of their families. Often finances are already stretched to the limit and another mouth to feed can prove too much.

One case is that of a little girl who fell and broke her arm which then turned gangrenous. This little girl is in desperate need of expert medical attention to save her arm and perhaps even her life. This case is not isolated. There are many children in the outlying villages who are in grave need of help and medical attention. Your sponsorship can help bring relief to some of their suffering.

Families in Need

A. Widowed mothers

Third world countries do not have a welfare state which picks up the pieces in times of bereavement. Losing the head of the family is a catastrophe in a country where women are seldom in paid labour and have not been expected to make their own way in the world.

Families are often large and the burden of caring for them can be overwhelming when the monthly income can be as low as £5.00 or £6.00 per month. That is less than the cost of a packet of cigarettes in the United Kingdom. For these families a monthly food parcel containing the basic essentials of sugar and flour and a chicken is a life line and is probably the only meat that the family has during any month.

B. Fathers who are not able to work

Without a welfare state and statutory benefits how does a man who, through illness or injury, becomes unable to work and care for his family? Begging is frequently seen on the streets of Luxor but this is without dignity and is not a solution. Often it is considered as the last resort of those who have little respect for themselves. A food parcel which has not been begged for can help to tide a family over its difficulties until health is restored or someone else in the family can enter paid employment.

If you would like to sponsor a child or a family food parcel then please contact us. Sponsorship starts with a commitment of £10.00 per month and sponsorship of a family starts with £5.00 per month which will provide a parcel of basic food items and some meat. Information about children and families in distress is passed to us through Luxor’s care homes, churches and mosques.

August 2008 - Update

We have sponsors who are providing the Good Samaritan Home with a large food parcel each month containing meat and dairy products. This helps to ensure the nourishment of the children.

Your help is urgently needed and greatly appreciated.
Sponsors@Littlestars-luxor.org