By
Alycia O'Dell

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More than 700 million people live in extreme poverty, over half of whom are children. Furthermore, the number of impoverished children is rising: approximately 100 million more children were plunged into poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, organizations around the world are working to help children living in poverty and break the cycle for future generations. So, we had to ask: what are the best charities combating child poverty?

The best charities that combat child poverty are World Vision and Children International. Charities such as ChildFund International and Save the Children provide children with the resources they need to survive and thrive.

Whether you want to improve the future education prospects of impoverished children, construct community centers in impoverished areas, or help vulnerable families break the cycle of poverty, there is a charity for you. Keep reading to learn more about what the best charities for combating child poverty are all about, how they work, and what your best way would be to make a contribution. 

Here’s What All the Best Charities That Combat Child Poverty Have in Common

The charities on this list were chosen based on their mission, impact and transparency ratings, and achievements.

The majority of these charities are based in the US but many also work internationally to combat child poverty.

Many of these charities give donors the opportunity to connect with an individual child through sponsorship. Others provide services to larger groups of children through entities such as churches and schools.

Some seek to end generational poverty by supporting entrepreneurs to build and sustain local economies, while others focus on providing opportunities through education.

Yet, they all share a common goal: to end child poverty.

These Are the 9 Best Charities That Combat Child Poverty in 2024

Below are our favorite charities that combat child poverty (you can click on their link to directly jump to their section in this article):

(At the end of this article we’ll also share our six-step approach on how you can select the best charity to support.)

World Vision: Bringing Hope to Children Around the World

Charity Navigator gives World Vision a 4-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Platinum Seal of Transparency. 

“Pulling up the roots of poverty and planting the seeds of change.”

World Vision

World Vision works to free children from poverty by promoting economic empowerment in underserved communities. They focus on improving the economic well-being of individual households by educating parents and community leaders on sustainable financial practices and by providing resources for economic development. For example, they provide microloans to entrepreneurs in impoverished communities to start or grow their businesses. The money used to pay off those loans is funneled back into the community to fund more loans. 

Since their founding, World Vision has improved the lives of millions of children living in poverty. For example, in 2021, they disbursed $613 million in microloans to 1 million people in 28 countries, impacting 1.6 million jobs and improving the lives of 5.2 million children. In the same year, they provided 163,172 metric tons of food supplies to help nourish children and families, and supported and trained over 184,000 community health workers in 46 countries. Within 10 years, they equipped 28.4 million people with lasting access to clean water.

You can donate to World Vision via their website or fund a microloan. You can also support the charity by sponsoring a child.

Children International: Sponsoring Children, Enriching Communities

Charity Navigator gives Children International a 4-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Platinum Seal of Transparency. 

“Bringing people together to end poverty for good.”

Children International

Children International works to break the cycle of generational poverty by providing customized programs that are tailored to the needs of the specific community. They pair children with financial sponsors to provide vital health, social, and educational services. They also build and operate community centers so children have a clean, safe, and permanent place to grow and learn. In addition, they prepare children for successful futures through vocational and financial literacy training and college readiness courses.

Since their founding, Children International has helped over 1 million children in 10 countries around the world. They have also built more than 67 community centers. For example, in 2021, they facilitated sponsorship for over 200,000 children and helped more than 4,500 young adults access education and employment training. In the same year, they provided critical emergency funding to ensure the basic needs of 100% of sponsored children and their families were met during the Covid-19 pandemic.

You can donate directly to Children International through their website. You can also support the charity by sponsoring a child or by raising awareness via social media.

ChildFund International: Evolving Support for Growing Children

Charity Navigator gives ChildFund International a 3-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Gold Seal of Transparency. 

“Because we need each other.”

ChildFund International

ChildFund International aids children living in poverty by connecting them with the resources they need to thrive. Their support evolves as childrens’ needs change throughout childhood. For example, they ensure infants and toddlers have a healthy start to life by providing nourishment and childcare education to expectant mothers. For older children and preteens, they prioritize age-appropriate literacy and provide life skills training to support emerging independence. Furthermore, they prepare teens and young adults to enter the workforce through vocational training and educational opportunities.

Since their founding, ChildFund International has improved the well-being of millions of children in some of the most impoverished places in the world. For example, in 2021, they provided more than $170.7 million in program services to over 16.2 million children in 24 countries. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they launched a $56 million global campaign to provide emergency financial aid to over 6 million families in impoverished communities.

You can donate directly to ChildFund International through their website. You can also support the charity by sponsoring a child or by volunteering.

Save the Children: Ensuring a Healthy Start

Charity Navigator gives Save the Children a 4-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Platinum Seal of Transparency. 

“All children deserve a healthy start in life.”

Save the Children

Save the Children works to end the cycle of poverty by ensuring communities have the resources they need to provide children with a healthy, educational, and safe environment. They do this through their health programs that help communities create and maintain sustainable food sources. For example, their Food Security and Livelihoods Program educates farmers on how to improve productivity to feed hungry children. They also work to tackle malnutrition and alleviate hunger in impoverished children. Furthermore, their education programs emphasize the importance of early learning; in rural US communities. For example, they promote kindergarten readiness through KinderBoost; a two week program that familiarizes children and families with the school environment. 

Since their founding, Save the Children has changed the lives of over 1 billion children. For example, in 2021, they helped improve the nutrition of 10.1 million children and provided 12 million children with access to quality education. Furthermore, since 2000, they have helped reduce the number of children with stunted growth due to malnutrition by a third. 

You can donate to Save the Children via their website. You can also support the charity by participating in a fundraiser, volunteering, or sponsoring a child.

UNICEF: For Every Child in Danger

Charity Navigator gives UNICEF a 3-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Gold Seal of Transparency. 

“For every child in danger.”

UNICEF

UNICEF works at national, regional, and global levels to help countries measure and address child poverty in all its dimensions. They do this by partnering with the World Bank to produce global statistics about child poverty to guide policymakers and support the expansion of programs, such as universal child benefits. They also chair the Global Coalition to End Child Poverty, which raises awareness to accelerate global efforts to end child poverty. In addition, they provide direct aid through healthcare, nutrition, and education initiatives.

Since their founding, UNICEF has changed the lives of millions of children living in poverty. For example, in 2021, they provided nutrition services to 336 million children worldwide and treated 5.5 million children for wasting due to malnutrition. In the same year, they helped 48.6 million out-of-school children access education. They also worked with over 100 countries to accurately measure child poverty, and develop actionable plans to end it.

You can donate directly to UNICEF through their website. You can also support the charity by purchasing items from their online shop or by volunteering.

Food for the Hungry: Strengthening Communities to End Poverty

Charity Navigator gives Food for the Hungry a 3-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Platinum Seal of Transparency. 

“Turning adversity into impact.”

Food for the Hungry

Food for the Hungry works with communities to create and implement sustainable solutions to poverty. In addition to providing life-saving resources such as food, medical aid, clean water, and sanitation to children and families directly, they also set communities up to thrive once they leave. They provide vocational and agricultural training, promote financial literacy, and help establish savings groups so entrepreneurs can borrow money. They also help communities learn to respond to and withstand crises such as natural disasters and conflict through their Shared Resilience Approach.

Since their founding, Food for the Hungry has remained dedicated to ending poverty in some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth. For example, in 2021, their development programs impacted 10,369,755 men, women, and children in 5,241 communities around the world. In the same year, they responded to 25 disaster events and humanitarian crises in 15 countries, helping 3,137,399 people access vital resources, including children. 

You can donate directly to Food for the Hungry through their website. You can also support the charity by sponsoring a child or by purchasing items from their gift catalog, such as hygiene kits and livestock.

Concern Worldwide: Long Term Solutions to Poverty

Charity Navigator gives Concern Worldwide a 4-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Gold Seal of Transparency. 

“Ending extreme poverty. Whatever it takes.”

Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide works with the most vulnerable and overlooked communities to identify root causes of poverty and create solutions to break the cycle. In partnership with community leaders, they implement programs to reverse the effects of poverty, such as malnutrition, disease, and illiteracy. For example, their health and nutrition programs increase children’s access to good healthcare, nutrition, clean water, and sanitation. They also promote long-term economic sustainability by helping families establish financial independence. For example, their livelihood and economic empowerment programs help individuals find ways to generate income and support their families.

Since their founding, Concern Worldwide has helped millions of children and their families break free from the cycle of poverty. For example, in 2020, they positively impacted 36.9 million people in 23 countries. In the same year, they improved food security and livelihoods for 580,000 people directly and 3.6 million people indirectly. Also, their health and nutrition programs reached 9.2 million people, and their education programs reached 700,000 people.

Ways to contribute:

You can donate directly to Concern Worldwide through their website. You can also support the charity by fundraising or by volunteering.

Share Our Strength: Feeding Hungry Children

Charity Navigator gives Share Our Strength a 3-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Platinum Seal of Transparency. 

“We all have a strength to share.”

Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength operates campaigns such as No Kid Hungry and Cooking Matters to combat hunger and poverty for children in the US. They also provide international grants to help children abroad. No Kid Hungry helps communities feed children by supplying schools with meals, advocating for food assistance programs, and helping families access nutrition resources. Cooking Matters helps families with limited budgets learn how to shop for, and cook healthy and affordable meals. 

Since the launch of their No Kid Hungry program, Share Our Strength has provided more than 1 billion meals to children. In 2020, they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by sending over $74 million in emergency grants to 1,953 schools and community groups across the US. This is the largest private investment ever made in support of school meal programs. Their Cooking Matters initiative has helped more than 464,000 families learn how to shop and cook healthier. Furthermore, the charity has awarded over $14 million in grants to support organizations working overseas to combat child poverty.

You can donate to Share Our Strength via their website. You can also support the charity by fundraising, attending an event, or by advocating.

Compassion International: Empowering Communities Against Poverty

Charity Navigator gives Compassion International a 3-star rating. GuideStar gives the charity a Platinum Seal of Transparency. 

“Releasing children from poverty in the name of Jesus.”

Compassion International

Compassion International pairs impoverished children with a financial sponsor, allowing them to access life-changing services. They also partner with churches in impoverished communities to provide services to children such as medical checkups, educational assistance, and nutritious meals. In addition, they help children prepare for success in adulthood through vocational training, financial literacy training, and college preparation. Also, their Compassion Survival initiative focuses on maternal and infant health to reduce infant mortality and ensure children get a healthy start in life.

Today, Compassion International provides care to more than 2.2 million children at over 8,000 churches in 25 countries around the world. For example, in 2021, they responded to the needs of impoverished communities impacted by COVID-19 by providing 10.6 million multi-week family food packs, and 7.6 million hygiene packs. They also dedicated more than $16 million to additional emergency relief. Their Compassion Survival initiative has provided life-saving interventions to more than 38,000 babies and their mothers.

You can donate to Compassion International via their website. You can also support the charity by sponsoring a child or volunteering.

How Can You Select the Best Charities to Support?

The charities on the list are, we deem, the best charities that combat child poverty. However, you may have a particular charity you want to support. Let’s look at what you can do to ensure your contribution has the most significant impact.

• Check out the charity website. Charities that are worthy of your donations are transparent in their mission and their figures. Familiarize yourself with their history, mission, and values. Their website usually is the best place to start.
• Identify the charity’s mission. Without a goal, the charity is likely to fail. If the charity’s mission isn’t clear, it’s probably worth looking for a charity that does have a clear mission. 
• Check if the charity has measurable goals. An effective charity has clear goals. You want to know your donation will help the charity reach its goals. But if it doesn’t have targets, it’s likely to fail or squander your gift. The charity should be able to account for its spending and supply evidence of the work they do.
• Assess the successes or goals the charity has achieved. You wouldn’t invest in a business if it kept missing its targets. In the same way, charities are like this too. If no one is assessing a charity’s progress in reaching its targets, the chances are they’re not making a substantial positive change.
• Check the charity’s financials and stats. Trustworthy organizations will publish financial statements and reports each year. Some might be exempt from having to do so, but they should be able to provide them to public members who are interested in donating.
• Locate sources who work with or benefit from the charity. Word of mouth and first-hand experience of a charity’s work lets you know the charity’s quality. If you’re able to do so, check out the charity for yourself or speak to someone familiar with it. This way, your donation will go to the right place. 

How Can You Best Support These Charities?

After you’ve made your decision, it’s time for you to decide on how you’d like to help the charities you’ve chosen. Check how you can help – each charity runs specific programs that have unique aims. Find out what the aim of such programs is and whether they are right for you. 

Here are a few ways you can help your chosen charity:

• Donate money. You can find donation pages on the website of most charities. Your donation can be a one-time payment, or you can set it to be deducted regularly at different intervals. You can mostly pay via credit card, but some charities also take PayPal or Bitcoin payments.
• Buy their official merchandise. The charities can also raise money by selling merchandise. So, you can support them by buying the mugs, shirts, caps, pens, pencils, and any other such items they may be selling. Ideally, you should buy as much as you can to share and spread the word about the charity’s activities.
• Engage in volunteer work. As you’ve seen from our descriptions above, some charities engage in a lot of local and grassroots programs. You can help by taking on and organizing the program in your local area.
• Help their fundraising efforts. You can spread the word about the charity in your workplace, school, church, etc., and hold creative fundraising drives on social media or offline within your small circles.
• Share their stories. Most charities have compelling stories that you can share with your audience to attract more people to the cause.

Final Thoughts

Now it is up to you to select the charity that resonates most with you. And whichever charity you end up choosing and contributing to, we are sure that they will immensely appreciate your support. Hopefully, the information within this article has made this selection process a bit easier for you to support charities dedicated to combatting child poverty – based on the causes that matter most to you.

Stay impactful,

PS: Finally, I want to leave you with a thought-provoking TED talk from Dan Pallotta, a leading philanthropic activist and fundraiser, about what is wrong with the way we think about charities – and what we can do about it:

Sources

• UNICEF: Child Poverty
• World Vision: Our History
• Forbes: World Vision
• Charity Navigator: World Vision
• GuideStar: World Vision
• World Vision: Economic Empowerment
• World Vision: 2021 Annual Report
• World Vision: Donate
• World Vision: Funa a Microloan
• World Vision: Sponsor a Child
• Children International: Learn More
• Charity Navigator: Children International
• GuideStar: Children International
• Children International: Annual Report
• Children International: Special Report
• Children International: Sponsor a Child
• Children International: Donate
• Children International: Connect with Team CI
• ChildFund International: About Us
• Charity Navigator: ChildFund International
• GuideStar:ChildFund International
• ChildFund International: Accountability
• ChildFund International: Ages 0-5
• ChildFund International: Ages 6-14
• ChildFund International: Ages 15-24
• ChildFund International: 2021 Annual Report
• ChildFund International: Covid Response
• ChildFund International: Sponsor a Child
• ChildFund International: Donate
• ChildFund International: Volunteer
• Save the Children: About Us
• Charity Navigator: Save the Children
• GuideStar: Save the Children
• Save the Children: School Health and Nutrition
• Save the Children: Hunger and Livelihoods
• Save the Children: Education
• Save the Children: Protection
• Save the Children: Health
• Save the Children: 2021 Annual Report
• Wikipedia: Child Sponsorship
• Save the Children: Donate
• Save the Children: Fundraise
• Save the Children: Volunteer
• UNICEF: About Us
• Charity Navigator: UNICEF
• GuideStar: UNICEF
• UNICEF: Child Poverty
• End Childhood Poverty: Home
• UNICEF: Health
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• UNICEF: Education
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• UNICEF: Donate
• UNICEF: Shop
• UNICEF: Volunteer
• Food for the Hungry: History
• Charity Navigator: Food for the Hungry
• GuideStar: Food for the Hungry
• Food for the Hungry: About
• Food for the Hungry: Resilience
• Food for the Hungry: 2021 Annual Report
• Food for the Hungry: Give
• Food for the Hungry: Sponsor a Child
• Food for the Hungry: Gift Catalog
• Concern Worldwide: Home
• Charity Navigator: Concern Worldwide
• GuideStar: Concern Worldwide
• Concern Worldwide: What We Do
• Concern Worldwide: Health and Nutrition
• Concern Worldwide: Education
• Concern Worldwide: Livelihoods and Financial Empowerment
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• Concern Worldwide: Fundraise
• Concern Worldwide: Volunteer
• ​​Share Our Strength: About
• Charity Navigator: Share Our Strength
• GuideStar: Share Our Strength
• Share Our Strength: International Grants
• No Kid Hungry: What We Do
• Cooking Matters
• No Kid Hungry: 2020 Annual Report
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• No Kid Hungry: Fundraise
• No Kid Hungry: Events and Experiences
• No Kid Hungry: Advocate
• Compassion International: Home
• Charity Navigator: Compassion International
• GuideStar: Compassion International
• Compassion International: About Us
• Compassion International: Medical Assistance
• Compassion International: Youth Development
• Compassion International: Food Security
• Compassion International: Child Sponsorship
• Compassion International: 2021 Accountability Report
• Compassion International: Compassion Survival
• Compassion International: Sponsor a Child
• Compassion International: Donate
• Compassion International: Volunteer