As a 7 year old, Catherine walked into school without a uniform, without stationery and without the chance to blend in. Her family simply couldn’t afford it.

Now in Year 13, she’s a Cultural Prefect and on track to become the first member of her family to attend university thanks to a sponsorship programme that Catherine says “enabled me to live my dreams and reach my full potential”.

One in eight Kiwi kids live in households experiencing material hardship. Catherine was once one of them – until children’s charity Variety helped change her life’s trajectory.

Variety’s Kiwi Kid Sponsorship pairs children experiencing material deprivation with sponsors who provide financial support each month, funding the likes of clothing, uniforms, school costs and extracurricular activities.

The bespoke approach allows funding to be accessed at any point for a child’s specific needs, giving families and whānau a sense of agency. The sponsorship enabled Catherine to actively partake in school without having to worry about where her dad would find the money.

Right now, more than 3000 other Kiwi kids like Catherine are hoping for the same opportunity.

“It’s about empowering kids and giving them the breadth of opportunity they wouldn’t have otherwise,” says Variety CEO Susan Glasgow.

“Sponsorship takes the stress out of the household. When you’re trying to decide whether to spend your money on rent or a school uniform, that choice becomes much easier when you have the funding for one – so you can afford to have both things.”

When Glasgow joined Variety in 2020, there were 300 kids aged 4 to 17 waiting for sponsorship. The number is now more than 10 times that.

“It’s really hard to put your hand up and say, ‘I cannot afford to clothe my child. I cannot afford to send my child to school camp. I cannot afford to give them what they need to achieve their potential’.”

Sponsors often have varying reasons for joining the programme, Glasgow says, and as a result, they’re able to select the child they wish to be partnered with. They may want to choose a child who lives in the region they grew up in, a child who is the same age as their own, or the child who has been on the waitlist the longest.

For Glasgow, she chose to sponsor a child who was very similar to her own daughter, in the hope that – despite their socioeconomic differences – she would see herself in her.

Sponsors also have the choice of communicating with the child through a moderated portal or greeting cards, with many going on to build strong relationships that stand the test of time.

Some sponsors keep supporting the child throughout university – some even ask if they can include their sponsored child in their will.

“They become a part of their family: sponsors are like guardian angels to these kids,” says Glasgow. “It’s knowing that somebody you may never meet in your lifetime cares enough about you to provide the funding you need to get on the pathway to success.”

Families who have been receiving support from Variety for four or more years are 50% less likely to live in material deprivation, a three-year study found.

“We have a whole bunch of kids who are doing brilliantly. Kids who are going to med school, becoming architects; achieving the things they want in life because of sponsorship,” says Glasgow.

She urges any New Zealander with the financial means to become a Kiwi Kid Sponsor.

“It’s transformative, it’s empowering. It gives children self-belief, mana and agency,” she says. “Children experience less bullying because they have what they need at school: they’re not the kid in the ill-fitting uniform that’s been worn by three siblings already. They’re more physically active and engaged in their learning.”

According to the latest available child poverty statistics, approximately 143,700 New Zealand children experienced material hardship in the 2022/23 financial year – an increase of 23,400 since the 2021/22 survey. One in every 3.5 Pasifika children was found to live in material hardship, as well as one in every 4.5 Māori children.

As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, even more families will need financial support.

“If you can sponsor a child, you’re not helping a ‘poor kid’: you’re investing in their life, and you’re investing in New Zealand’s future. We’re collectively investing in our own futures, because these kids are going to be the ones leading it,” says Glasgow. “Just because they’re living in constrained circumstances doesn’t mean they’re not capable of doing great things.”

Sponsors pay $50 a month – the funds are managed by Variety on behalf of the child’s family to ensure payment is made directly to providers and is tailored to the child’s specific needs.

To find out more about becoming a sponsor and changing a child’s life, visit variety.org.nz.