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What is a a "sponsored child?"
Children in need of sponsorship are identified by our partner
organizations in each country. Most of the children in
orphanCare's sponsorship program are available for adoption;
however, due to their particular special needs, they may never
be placed in a "forever family." All of the children have
learning problems and/or physical disabilities. Your
sponsorship will provide a helping hand for a child and will
greatly enhance the quality of his/her life.
What is my role as a sponsor?
You may make your payment monthly, quarterly or once a year.
It is important that you be consistent with your contributions
for your sponsored child. The care that is given to your
child will be directly tied to your sponsorship contributions.
How is my sponsorship contribution distributed?
Your sponsorship contribution will be sent by wire transfer on a
quarterly basis to our partner organization in the specified
country, which is responsible for the care of your sponsored
child. Some of the children may have two sponsors in order
to cover all of the costs associated with caring for the child.
What will I receive as a sponsor?
Within two weeks after signing up to become a child sponsor, you
will receive a sponsor packet that includes a photo of your
sponsored child, information about him/her, and how your child
will benefit from your sponsorship. If you are not already
on our mailing list, your contact information will be added to
the list so that you may begin receiving our quarterly
newsletter CHILDLINK.
Twice a year, you will receive updated information and/or
pictures of your sponsored child to let you know how he/she is
doing.
What benefits will my sponsored child receive?
Nutritional food and healthy living conditions are always
provided for each sponsored child. If the child you
sponsor is of school age, he/she will have the opportunity to
receive an education which includes the school tuition, uniforms
and supplies.
The health of the children is also very important to us,
therefore, we make sure that each child receives regular medical
check ups and immunizations. Your sponsored child will
receive the necessary health care that is appropriate for
his/her age and circumstances.
Can I write to my sponsored child?
Yes, communicating with your sponsored child can be very
meaningful for both you and the child. Please keep your
letters and/or cards brief, however, as they must be translated
into the child's native language. Please clearly
communicate in your correspondence to the child your role as a
sponsor. Send all correspondence to the
orphanCare International
office. We will then send it to our partner organization
in the child's country, so that our overseas staff can translate
your letter into your child's native language. Both your
original letter and the translation will be given to your child
to keep. Your correspondence will usually reach your child
within a few weeks after we receive it.
Please do NOT send items for your sponsor child as it is very
expensive for us to ship packages overseas.
How long should my child sponsorship last?
orphanCare
International's child sponsorship program offers
you the opportunity to remain with a child for a number of
years. We encourage our sponsors to consider making at
least a one year commitment to sponsoring a specific child.
While we hope that you will be able to continue your support for
your sponsored child throughout their school years, we
understand that life circumstances sometimes change and you may
be unable to continue your support.
A sponsored child's individual circumstances may also change.
A child may leave the program because he/she has become part of
an adoptive family or has been relocated to another orphanage
setting and is therefore, no longer a part of the
sponsorship program.
What happens to the child I am helping, if I must discontinue my
sponsorship?
If your circumstances change and you can no longer
provide financial support for your sponsored child, we will
immediately seek a new sponsor via the
orphanCare International
website and CHILDLINK newsletter.
What opportunities will I have to learn about the child whom I
am sponsoring?
orphanCare
International will send you updates on your
sponsored child's progress twice per year. Each update
will also contain a current photo of your child along with the
information on how they are doing in school academically and
socially as well as their current health status.
Will I be the only person sponsoring the child I am helping?
In many cases you will be the only person who is
sponsoring your child. However, some children have very
high medical bills and/or special needs requiring additional
therapies. In order to cover these expenses, we may assign
more than one sponsor for these children. If you would
like to be the only sponsor for a particular child, we will be
glad to discuss the total monthly care cost with you.
can I send packages to my sponsored child?
We understand your desire to send packages to your
sponsored child, however, we are unable to accept them for the
following reasons:
- High postal costs
- Complexity of foreign postal regulations
- High duty charges in many countries
- Slow delivery
- Possible loss, theft or damage
Can I send money directly to my sponsored child?
orphanCare
International requests that monetary gifts NOT be
sent directly to your sponsored child as the child's facility is
not set up to receive gifts in this manner. If you would
like for your sponsored child to have a special occasion gift,
you can forward the funds to orphanCare and we will wire
transfer your gift along with a special note attached explaining
the purpose of the gift at the time of our regular quarterly
sponsorship distribution.
May I send more than one month's contribution amount toward my
sponsorship support?
Your pledge may be paid monthly, quarterly,
semi-annually or annually, whichever is most convenient for you.
How are children chosen for sponsorship?
We work very closely with the orphanage directors in
the countries in which we serve. As children become
available for sponsorship, each director will notify us of the
specific children's needs and request that we find sponsors for
these children.
Many times the children are part of a bigger program such as
our education scholarship program for 100 children in Lam Dong,
Vietnam.
How does orphanCare International ensure that my sponsorship
support will actually reach my child?
orphanCare
International works directly with the orphanage
directors within each country we have established child
sponsorship programs. We conduct regular audits to make
sure the funds are properly received and managed to meet the
children's on-going needs.
Are my child sponsorship payments tax deductible?
Yes, all contributions to
orphanCare International
are fully tax deductible as allowed by the U.S. government.
What percentage of my child sponsorship goes directly for the
care of my sponsored child?
We are proud to state that
over 90% of all donations received are used for the care of the
children and only 8.1% is used in administrative overhead.
We constantly strive to reduce our administrative overhead so
that even more donated dollars goes to meet then needs of each
sponsored child.
How can I pay for my child sponsorship?
We have tried to devise several payment methods to
make sponsoring a child with
orphanCare International more convenient.
They are as follows:
- cash, check, or money order
- automatic bank drafts from your checking or savings
account
- online credit card donations
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