There are a variety of child sponsorship agencies to choose from and each has their program set up differently. I have first-hand experience with Compassion International, in the role of a sponsor, so I'll share what I know. (For more info, go to their website at http://www.compassion.com/.)
1) HOW DO I CHOOSE A CHILD TO SPONSOR?: One of the things I love about Compassion is that you can go to their website and select a specific child -- you aren't relying on the organization to select someone for you, (although you can if that is your preference.) The website has photos of hundreds of children waiting to be sponsored. Click on a photo to learn a child's name, age, interests, education level, family status, and the country in which they live.
You can simply browse the photos or you can do a search targeting a specific piece of criteria. Perhaps you would like to sponsor a child born on your birthdate -- you can search by birthday. Perhaps you have a heart for children with special needs -- you can search for a child who is mentally or physically challenged. Maybe you just want to sponsor that child who has been waiting the longest -- there is a search function for that, as well. There is a child here for every person.
2) HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?: It costs $32 a month to sponsor a child through Compassion. This money is pooled to pay for the entire Compassion program which serves over 1 million children in 24 countries.
In addition to the $32, you can send up to $25 a year for a child's birthday. The entire $25 goes directly to the child. The workers at the child's project will confer with the family and purchase gifts that the child needs. My child has gotten things like shoes, clothing, a dictionary, colored pencils, etc.
You can also send a family gift of $25-$300 once a year. Again, the entire amount is given to the family -- the project workers and the family confer and purchase items that the family needs. You will get a detailed list of what the family purchased along with the price of each item. My child's family has used our gifts for things like insecticide, school fees, rent, food, clothing and savings.
Once a year you may send a monetary Christmas gift in whatever amount you choose. This gift is pooled with all sponsor Christmas gifts and divided equally to ensure that each Compassion child receives something.
3) CAN I WRITE TO MY CHILD?: YES!! This is the fun part. You can write letters, send photos, send postcards, send stickers -- anything light and flat that you think your child will enjoy. He or she will write letters in return, sharing with you his/her life and accomplishments. My child, (who wants to be an artist), always includes pictures he has drawn. We have even gotten photos from special events such as his kindergarten graduation and birthday. Compassion will send you periodic updates on how your child is progressing in the program.
I believe that this communication is THE KEY to giving your child encouragement and making him or her feel special. Very often, the letters you write become the prized possessions in that child's home. And there is no excuse not to write -- Compassion even has an e-mail form, so you can e-mail your child!
4) CAN I VISIT MY CHILD?: Yes! Compassion offers trips each year to a variety of countries, providing you with an opportunity to meet your child. You may also plan a trip and travel on your own. You simply contact Compassion far enough in advance that they can coordinate a visit.
Those are the basics. It's a pretty simple process from the sponsor's end. Check out the Compassion website. Fifteen minutes from now you, too, may be a sponsor!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
How to be a top-notch sponsor
Everyone has their own approach to building a relationship with their sponsored kids. Here are a few tips that have helped me to be the best sponsor I can be!
1) WRITE TO YOUR CHILD: I write once a month. But I would say writing 3-4 times a year is great. With Compassion, you can e-mail your child through their website -- how easy is that? A birthday card, a Christmas card, a postcard and an e-mail and you've corresponded four times right there -- totally doable!
2) SEND FUN THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME: Photos, postcards, stickers, bookmarks. Anything light and flat. Whenever we go someplace new, I enjoy scouting out the giftshops for cool cards or postcards to send. (Greeting cards that play music were a particular hit!)
3) KEEP YOUR LETTERS AGE-APPROPRIATE AND REASONABLE IN LENGTH: I read a post from a woman talking about the 7-page letter she sent her sponsored child. Not only does this tax the resources of the agency, but how overwhelmed that kid must have been to receive a 7-page letter. If I were that child's parents, I would have found that downright creepy. Keep the lengthy stories of your great-aunt's lumbago to yourself -- one-page in length is appropriate.
4) UNDERSTAND THAT THE INITIAL LETTERS FROM YOUR CHILD MAY BE SHORT AND GENERIC: All relationships take time to build -- and your child is likely young and still learning the skill of correspondence.
5) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ADDITIONAL GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: Birthdays, family gifts, etc. With Compassion, these gifts go directly to the family, maximizing what your money is doing for your sponsored child.
6) LEARN ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S COUNTRY AND CULTURE: I knew nothing about Ethiopia when I started as a sponsor. Well, nothing other than the usual stereotypes -- I doubt I need to elaborate on those. What a difference two years has made. I know a ton about the Ethiopian government, current events, tourist spots, national parks, landscape, wildlife, national holidays. What a wonderful place it is! Having my horizons expanded was an unexpected benefit for me.
1) WRITE TO YOUR CHILD: I write once a month. But I would say writing 3-4 times a year is great. With Compassion, you can e-mail your child through their website -- how easy is that? A birthday card, a Christmas card, a postcard and an e-mail and you've corresponded four times right there -- totally doable!
2) SEND FUN THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME: Photos, postcards, stickers, bookmarks. Anything light and flat. Whenever we go someplace new, I enjoy scouting out the giftshops for cool cards or postcards to send. (Greeting cards that play music were a particular hit!)
3) KEEP YOUR LETTERS AGE-APPROPRIATE AND REASONABLE IN LENGTH: I read a post from a woman talking about the 7-page letter she sent her sponsored child. Not only does this tax the resources of the agency, but how overwhelmed that kid must have been to receive a 7-page letter. If I were that child's parents, I would have found that downright creepy. Keep the lengthy stories of your great-aunt's lumbago to yourself -- one-page in length is appropriate.
4) UNDERSTAND THAT THE INITIAL LETTERS FROM YOUR CHILD MAY BE SHORT AND GENERIC: All relationships take time to build -- and your child is likely young and still learning the skill of correspondence.
5) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ADDITIONAL GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: Birthdays, family gifts, etc. With Compassion, these gifts go directly to the family, maximizing what your money is doing for your sponsored child.
6) LEARN ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S COUNTRY AND CULTURE: I knew nothing about Ethiopia when I started as a sponsor. Well, nothing other than the usual stereotypes -- I doubt I need to elaborate on those. What a difference two years has made. I know a ton about the Ethiopian government, current events, tourist spots, national parks, landscape, wildlife, national holidays. What a wonderful place it is! Having my horizons expanded was an unexpected benefit for me.
Do children really need MY help?
Here are some statistics:
- More than 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. *
- Six million children die every year as a result of hunger or malnutrition. **
- 134 million children between the ages of 7 and 18 have never been to school. ***
- 1.2 million children are believed to be exploited through the commercial sex trade. *
- Approximately 246 million children work. ****
- Approximately 171 million children work in hazardous conditions. *
- An estimated 8.4 million children work under the most extreme of circumstances: forced into debt bondage or other forms of slavery, prostitution, pornography, armed conflict or other illicit activities. *
Sources:
* UNICEF State of the World's Children 2006
** Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
*** Study done by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research at the University of Bristol
**** International Labor Organization
Thursday, February 21, 2008
COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL
Hello everyone! Compassion International, the child sponsorship organization through which we sponsor our children, has issued an invitation to its donors to blog about our experience as sponsors. I am extremely excited about this blog and about the opportunity to put out the good word about Compassion. If there is anyone out there who has considered sponsoring a child and just wants more information -- or is on the fence as to whether this is a worthwhile way to spend your money and your efforts -- YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. I will do a series of entries on the hows and whys of child sponsorship. I have been a sponsor now for two years and have really thrown myself into it heart and soul. So I have some good information for you!
To begin at the beginning -- how I learned about Compassion. When I was a very young woman, just out of high school, I attended a Christian concert. The musician took a break during his set to share with us the needs of children around the world living in poverty -- children who were orphaned, starving, unable to attend school, lacking in the basic necessities that so many of us take for granted -- and how Compassion International was working to meet those needs.
Today, I could not tell you the name of that musician or any of the songs they sang that night, but the message that there are children out there in dire need of love and assistance is a message that stayed with me permanently. From that moment on, I wanted to sponsor a child. Twenty years later (gulp!) -- now married and a mother, I sat down at my computer, looked up the Compassion International website and met a little boy from Ethiopia who would become a part of our family and would totally reinvigorate me as a human being and as a Christian.
The joy that our family has experienced from sponsoring a child -- and the lessons we've learned about love and faith, caring and sharing -- are huge. I hope there is some way in the entries to come that I can fully convey this to you. But even more so, I hope that someday you experience it yourself by sponsoring a child.
To begin at the beginning -- how I learned about Compassion. When I was a very young woman, just out of high school, I attended a Christian concert. The musician took a break during his set to share with us the needs of children around the world living in poverty -- children who were orphaned, starving, unable to attend school, lacking in the basic necessities that so many of us take for granted -- and how Compassion International was working to meet those needs.
Today, I could not tell you the name of that musician or any of the songs they sang that night, but the message that there are children out there in dire need of love and assistance is a message that stayed with me permanently. From that moment on, I wanted to sponsor a child. Twenty years later (gulp!) -- now married and a mother, I sat down at my computer, looked up the Compassion International website and met a little boy from Ethiopia who would become a part of our family and would totally reinvigorate me as a human being and as a Christian.
The joy that our family has experienced from sponsoring a child -- and the lessons we've learned about love and faith, caring and sharing -- are huge. I hope there is some way in the entries to come that I can fully convey this to you. But even more so, I hope that someday you experience it yourself by sponsoring a child.
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