Child Sponsorship

sammy_kaye18

Hi All,

Ok for the last 2 years ive bugged my bf to death because id love anohter child adn he has always said no.full stop. and i was always left gutted. Anyway ive been thinking abotu it alot lately especially with Xmas coming up and it has been really playing on my mind. Then i sat down and watched TV and saw the world aid advert and now after months of questions off family memebrs with the usual 'what do you want for Xmas? and dont say i dont know because id rather get you something you want'' ive answered - i want to sponsor a child.

My only problem is that i know nothing about it - i know i can do it through World Aid adn they will set up sponsorship for a child who needs it.

but i wanted to know
- can i send gifts to the child through world aid?
- can i send extra money when i want to ?
- how many letters/pics do you get or does it depend on how many you write?
- anyone else do this and what are their experiences of doign it??

Thanks in Adance

x S x

joggyb

Hi there

Each child sponsorship charity differs slightly in what you are allowed to do or not do, so the best thing to do is to get in touch with World Aid directly and put your questions to them.

You might also want to ask them what proportion of your money goes towards sponsoring the child, and what proportion goes towards their admin, marketing, etc - again, each charity varies.

I sponsor a child through Action Aid - although, in practice, the money goes towards his whole village. As lovely as it is to sponsor a child, it's worth thinking about what effect it has on those around him or her who aren't being sponsored. Sponsoring a village or community - albeit directed at 'improving' the particular child's life - is considered by many to be a fairer, and more effective way of sponsoring.

A similar thing applies to sending gifts, extra money, etc - which is why Action Aid don't allow it. It's just unfair on the 'have nots'.

Try having a search around the internet for charities that sponsor kids (there are loads!), and see what you think about them all - and then decide which one appeals to you most based on what you find out.

And go for it - it's a fantastic thing to do! :T

goonlord

joggyb wrote:

As lovely as it is to sponsor a child, it's worth thinking about what effect it has on those around him or her who aren't being sponsored. Sponsoring a village or community - albeit directed at 'improving' the particular child's life - is considered by many to be a fairer, and more effective way of sponsoring.

A similar thing applies to sending gifts, extra money, etc - which is why Action Aid don't allow it. It's just unfair on the 'have nots'.

:T

I absolutely agree - sponsoring one child if others in the village aren't is not the best way to go about it and I would steer clear of any charity that suggests this. Think about what life will be like for that child if his / her family are relying on the money from your sponsorship but then, for whatever reason, you are unable to keep sending it. And also about their relationships with others in the village when they have money being given to them but others haven't.

Much better to give money to a decent development charity with low admin and fundraising costs that funds projects the whole community benefits from.

Also think seriously about your reasons for doing this. Personally, I feel there's something a little bit upleasant about the sponsored child being expected to send letters etc. to the person sponsoring him. I always feel that if you are giving money to charity, it is for someone else's benefit and you shouldn't expect to get anything back (except of course feedback from the charity which any decent one should do anyway).

I'm slightly worried that you are looking at this as a substitute for a child and that is not really what it's all about so you might be disappointed (although maybe I have misunderstood you). At the end of the day, it's really just one big fundraising tool (and I know for a fact that I am not just being cynical about this!).

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but it's something I feel very strongly about.

That being said, I think it is wonderful that you are thinking about giving to charity but before you make a decision on who should get your hard earned cash, really look closely at the charity and how it works.

Remember: All charities are not equal!!

black-saturn

This is something I've been thinking about for a while. My children have also expressed an interest in it and I think it would be educational for them.

goonlord

Additional thought: For further information on charities you should ask them to send you their annual review or annual report. This should contain details about what percentage they spend on admin, publicity and all the other things that you might not want to be paying for. As a general rule, anything under about 10p in the pound is pretty good. Obviously some money has to be spent on this but you'd be amazed / appalled by what some charities spend on things other than direct charitable expenditure!!

These brochures should also give you a wider view of the sort of work they carry out so you can get a feel for whether you like their style or not.

ali99

We sponsor two children through Plan UK, one in Vietnam and one in Nicaragua. Each child was born within a few days of each of my two girls which is what I requested, as when my girls are older I hope they will write to the children we sponsor. You give £12 a month minimum per sponsored child. But of course the money doesn't go directly to that child or family, you are actually giving money towards projects in that local community eg. building schools, finding ways to help the families send their kids to school etc. You get updates on what is happening in the community.
You are encouraged to write to your child and they write back. You don't have each others addresses, it is all through Plan UK. You can send small light gifts a couple of times a year, but these should not be expensive gifts and you are encouraged to send things which can be shared eg. a ball.
We have been really happy with this organisation. Their web site is http://www.plan-international.org.uk/
I hope that is of some help
Ali