What is child sponsorship?
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.
How much does child sponsorship cost?
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.
What does my sponsorship money go towards?
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.
Can Stand by Me guarantee that my money will be allocated to my child?
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 92% of your donation is spent on caring for your child. The remaining 8% is used for managing the sponsorship programme and helping us raise more sponsors.
What information will I receive about my sponsored child?
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.
Can I sponsor a child as part of a group?
Yes. We welcome group sponsorships. You may want to sponsor a child through your school, social club, church group, brownies, scout group or business.
Will I be the only sponsor for my child?
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.
Can I communicate with my child?
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.
How do I communicate with my child?
There are two ways to do this:
- By post (which can include cards, letters, postcards, photos etc). You can download our reply template.
- By email. Just send your message to [email protected]
For both types of communication, please include the following information:-
- Your Name
- Child’s Name
- Child’s ID number
- Programme Name
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.
Where do I send any postal correspondence for my child?
You can send all correspondence to our England office:
Your postal correspondence will be forwarded to the child on a monthly basis.
Can I contact my child directly?
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.
What shall I write to my child?
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.
- Ask your child what name they like to be known by. In some countries, the names are quite different to British names. You could also tell them what you like to be called.
- Share about a national custom or holiday. Postcards of where you live or places you have visited are educational and interesting.
- Encourage your child to do their best at school.
- Include a question or two to give your child something to write about, and answer your child’s letter and any questions they have for you.
- Please avoid writing about personal problems where possible.
- Please do not include your contact details on any correspondence with your child.
- For more ideas, check out our sample letter.
Can I send a postal gift to my child?
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.
Can I send a monetary gift to my child?
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.
Can I visit my child?
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.
Can I email my child?
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.
I don’t have time to write to a sponsored child, but I’d love to contribute. How can I help?
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.
If I stop my sponsorship, what happens to the child?
Every effort will be made to find the child a new sponsor.
Can I sponsor a Home or School?
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].
How much does sponsoring a Home or School cost?
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.
How does sponsoring a Home or School help?
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.
