They’re all different - they have different stories, different needs and different dreams. But they all need loving relationships to know they are accepted for who they are. Which is why child sponsorship is so much more than a £20 monthly donation, it helps a child feel special and part of a wider family.
Lam is 6 years old. Her parents divorced when she was 3 years old leaving her to the care of her uncle. She has now come into our home with her younger brother. They are very happy here.
Khauk is 13 years old. Her father passed away before she was born during conflict in the country. Khuak was brought to our Yankin Agape Children's Home.
Mang is 6 years old and comes from an area of Burma close to the India border. He lost his father when he was young and his mother struggled to provide for him.
Suh is 7 years old. The nearest school to her home village was a 20 mile walk away, so Suh was brought to our Blessings Home so that she could attend school.
Burma is a country ruled by a military junta where the violation of human rights and oppression have resulted in extreme poverty, starvation, child prostitution and thousands of orphaned and abandoned children. Throughout the country we provide loving care to orphaned children from persecuted minorities in our family homes, and education for many more children in our schools so they can rise above their circumstances.
Child Sponsorship is a fantastic way to impact a child’s life.
It’s so much more than a monthly donation; it means a child feels loved, cared for and part of a family.
When you decide to be a child sponsor, it changes a child’s life. The less obvious bit is that it often changes the sponsor’s life a little too.
Miss Walshe, a teacher at Chepstow House School, sponsored Wamale after visiting Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia.
"Seeing first-hand the work of Stand by Me made me realise the huge impact that sponsorship has on a child. Seeing their faces light up when they receive a package from their sponsor, knowing that someone in a different country is thinking of them and cares is so powerful! Since sponsoring Wamale, I feel like she is part of my family; I am forever speaking about her and know how much influence my letters and gifts are having on her life. I look forward to playing a part in her life as she grows."
Hannah, Matt, Abi and Toby sponsor William Sak Kee in Burma and even though he lives far away, each member of the family has built a special bond with him.
“It’s a delight to receive his letters and emails and to write back to him. In every letter and photo we see him develop and it’s great to be part of his life. William calls us 'Mum' and 'Dad' and he is our unofficially adopted son! He is a brother to Abi and Toby and the correspondence between them is very special. In one of William's letters, he writes, 'you are all in my heart'; well, William is and always will be in our hearts too.”
St Luke’s Nursery and Primary School sponsor 6 children through fundraising activities like film nights, penny spirals and selling smoothies, gingerbread people and cakes.
“We sponsor children in Burma and Ethiopia because we have so much more than they do and it’s good to share.” “Sponsoring means a lot to me because our friends are the same age as us and are not as fortunate as we are.” “It’s important that we show our friends that they are loved.” “We can make a big difference to the lives of others and I like it when I see pictures of our friends smiling.”
Christy started sponsoring Ashenafi in Ethiopia when he left high school
“I decided to become a sponsor because I realised that while £20 a month may seem like a very small amount to me, it can be used to transform a child’s life. Rather than donating to an unknown source each month with little or no idea of how my money is being used, Stand by Me have helped me build a relationship with my sponsor child, which makes it much less like donating money and more like simply helping a friend.”
Gary sponsors Dame and Ifa in Dembi Dollo. He even got to meet them both on a team trip.
“Receiving letters from the two boys I sponsor is my favourite mail! My boys update me on how they are getting on at school and how their family life is, which makes everything considerably more personal. Through sponsoring, I know that whatever I give financially gets to those that need it most and all is spent wisely, but more importantly I actually get to know my kids, who they are, and what their hopes and dreams are!”
Sponsoring a child is a great way for you to directly impact a child’s life. You encourage and support your sponsored child, not only financially, but by sending letters and building a personal relationship with them. Your support enables them to feel loved and part of a family. Your monthly donation will be used to provide for your child’s individual needs.
For as little as £20 per month, you can become a child sponsor and help us rescue a child in need. The costs of providing children with high quality care can vary greatly depending on the country and the needs of the children. Since our desire is to provide the best care possible, it may be necessary to allocate some of our children with more than one sponsor. £20 per month goes a long way, however, anything extra you feel able to give will be much appreciated.
It goes towards providing the best care possible for the child you sponsor. This could be to provide 24hr care in a loving family home for a child who is orphaned or without a stable family environment. For children who have a family but have no access to an education, your sponsorship money will enable them to go to our school or care centre and provide them with a quality education, committed teachers, books, pens, nutritious food and vital medical care.
Yes, we will use your money to provide the best care possible for the child you sponsor. Your money will provide their food, clothes, education, medical care and if necessary, loving parents and a family home. A minimum of 90% of your donation is spent on caring for your child. The remaining 10% is used for managing the sponsorship programme and helping us raise more sponsors.
When you sponsor, we’ll allocate you a child according to your preferences and send you their photo and background story. This helps you get to know your child and begin building a relationship from the start by sending a letter or email. We will then send you regular updates, photos and correspondence from your child.
Yes. We welcome group sponsorships. You may want to sponsor a child through your school, social club, church group, brownies, scout group or business.
In some of our projects, one sponsor contributing £20 per month is sufficient to meet a child’s needs. However, the costs of providing for a child vary greatly depending on the country and the type of care they need. Since our desire is to provide the best care possible for every child, it may be necessary to allocate some of our children with more than one sponsor.
Yes, we would love you to do so. We want every sponsor to have a great relationship with their child and we will do our best to facilitate and encourage you to write as often as you can. Our kids love to receive letters, photos and small gifts from their sponsor. These things quickly become treasured possessions and let your child know you care for them.
There are two ways to do this:
For both types of communication, please include the following information:-
Please be aware that due to delays in international post and poor internet connection, you should allow up to 12 weeks for a postal response and 4 weeks for an email response.
You can send all correspondence to our England office:
Your postal correspondence will be forwarded to the child on a monthly basis.
To safeguard our children we ask you not to directly contact your child via post or social media, but to send any communication through our England office. It is our policy not to disclose your contact details to your child or the programme.
The first time you write you can introduce your family and possibly include a photo. Pets, hobbies and sports are always good topics to include.
Yes you can. We encourage you to send letters, photos and gifts that fit into an A5 size envelope via our England office. Large parcels are discouraged due to the high cost of postage, customs issues and fairness to all the children. For international post, please allow up to 12 weeks for a response.
That’s a great question! There are two ways to do this; call us on 01708 442271 to make a card payment or you can send a cheque to our England office (made payable to Stand by Me) making it clear on the covering note what the cheque is for. Our overseas staff will then purchase a present on your behalf. We suggest an amount between £5 and £20. If you want to give more than £20 we will use the extra to provide gifts for unsponsored children.
In accordance with our child protection policy, and when possible, we facilitate the opportunity for a sponsor to meet their child. However, due to the security risks in certain countries a visit is not always possible.
We would love you to. We want to make it as simple as possible for you to communicate with your child. Please send any emails to [email protected]. Please remember the internet connection can cause delays in some of our programmes, therefore we ask you allow up to 4 weeks for a response.
If you would like to impact the lives of children but don’t feel that sponsoring a child is for you, then please consider making a regular donation, which enables you to sponsor a home or school. You will have the same impact without sponsoring an individual child. There are also many other ways you can get involved.
Every effort will be made to find the child a new sponsor.
Sponsoring a home or school is a great way of impacting the lives of many children. You can do this by signing up to give a regular donation and selecting an amount and country of your choice. If you want to discuss this further, please contact Nicola on 01708 442271 or [email protected].
You can choose the amount you wish to donate (per month) and any contribution will make an impact on many of our children’s lives.
This is a great way of supporting many children, especially children who do not have a sponsor and without the commitment of writing to them. Your regular donation will go towards meeting the monthly needs of the children at the programme (home or school), including food, clothes, medical care and the salary of the teachers or carers. We’ll make sure you receive regular updates on how your donation is having an impact.
