ChristusG Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 For Christmas I'd like my children to learn about giving to others. I thought it would be neat to sponsor a child in a poor country. I know that there are many places that you can so this but I don't know if they are reputable or not. I'd like my children to be able to send letters and gifts to the child as well, if possible. Plus, have a picture of the child to see them and see who we are praying for. Does anyone use a company that they like? Any reasons why this may not be a good idea that I haven't thought of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 For Christmas I'd like my children to learn about giving to others. I thought it would be neat to sponsor a child in a poor country. I know that there are many places that you can so this but I don't know if they are reputable or not. I'd like my children to be able to send letters and gifts to the child as well, if possible. Plus, have a picture of the child to see them and see who we are praying for. Does anyone use a company that they like? Any reasons why this may not be a good idea that I haven't thought of? Compassion INternational. You can even go visit the child you sponsor if you want to. YOu can check out Charity Navigator to make sure the finances of an organization are on the up and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We have sponsored a child in Vietnam for 4 years through Plan. I have also heard that Compassion International is very reputable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We sponsor through Plan International. We get regular correspondence from our child's family + a yearly report from the community outreach worker on what's been happening in the area. The outreach worker also sends photos in the report. We can send small gifts but the emphasis is on small, small, small. Like 3 pencils. A comb. One small skinny notebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We sponser several children through World Vision. We're very happy with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prudent Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We've been sponsoring a child through World Vision for years. You can send your child cards and letters and they send you pictures and updates on your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolin'mygirls Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Plan International sponsor here. Haven't heard about the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We've been sponsoring a child through World Vision for years. You can send your child cards and letters and they send you pictures and updates on your child. We also, for a couple of years. We've had to stop recently because of a year of no work :sad:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We sponser several children through World Vision. We're very happy with them. Ditto. We have sponsored a child with them for 15 years and have pics of our sponsored child growing up. Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We love World Vision. Every year we get their awesome "catalog" of livestock and other amazing gifts that you can donate to an individual child, family and community to really make a lasting difference. They do great work. Our youth group has loved doing their 30-hour Famine each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 Thanks everyone! I'm going to look into the three mentioned here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 We've been doing World Vision for a few years, very happy with them. We tried to pick a boy and a girl who has the same birthday as our kids, thinking that might make it more real to our kids. WV is very communicative. DH has also used them to purchase gifts in honor of each employee (instead of exchanging gifts), such as a goat for one family or ducks for another. There are many things to choose from that are one-time gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Jesus In Haiti has a child sponsorship program http://www.jesusinhaiti.org/default.asp?contentID=4 We know Tom Osbeck personally and have hosted him in our home many times. Almost 100% of what you send goes to the children. There is very little in overhead here as most on the mission board volunteer their time and talents. We have sponsored a child through here for a few years now. We also get his monthly updates and weekly email letters. This is an organization worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Ditto. We have sponsored a child with them for 15 years and have pics of our sponsored child growing up. Cool! Same here. We began sponsoring a girl through World Vision about 18 years ago. They sent us a letter a few years ago that her village became self-sufficient, and she no longer needed aid. We then went on to sponsor a boy and have been doing so through the present. They don't allow us to send gifts, so what I do is put stickers on the card that they give us to send to our child, just to add a personal touch. I also spray the card with perfume. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 At first it was called Childreach; then they changed the name to Plan International. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 She comes every December (3 or so yrs) to talk about her organization at my church. http://www.connect-africa.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 If you'd like to sponsor a school instead, I can recommend a contact in Kenya. My sister! Her and her boyfriend are setting up an NGO over there because they aren't happy with the way the likes of World Vision operate. If you are interested, I can put you in contact with her and you can ask as many questions as you like. If you're on Facebook, you can contact her here: http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=whyKenya&init=quick#/group.php?gid=134870147297&ref=search&sid=545883624.4061725273..1 That is a pic of my sister when she was volunteering with an orphanage earlier in the year. If you're not on Facebook, I can give you her email address. I can assure you she isn't a crook :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 We sponsor a child from Liberia through Rafiki Foundation which is affiliated with Bible Study Fellowship. We also support several people who work in the Rafiki Villages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Another vote for World Vision - over ten years of sponsorship. Well run organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 The Christmas catalog from World Vision really inspired us this year. We bought all of our presents for the adults on our Christmas list from it. And come January I would love for our family to sponsor a child from there. Glad to hear positive experiences about the company! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Here are the ratings from a top charity watch group. http://www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html#childsp My dad did work with both CCF & Save the Children. Save would be my first choice. CHILD SPONSORSHIP AIP GRADE ChildFund International (formerly Christian Children's Fund) A– Children Incorporated A– Christian Foundation for Children and Aging A+ Compassion International A Pearl S. Buck International A Plan USA A– Save the Children A World Vision B+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Those ratings are only about finances, though. There's no mention as to what they are actually accomplishing. From what my sister says, these sorts of organisations ( World Vision is the only one she's actually named) specialise in short term and do virtually nothing for the long term. One example she gave was the "buy a goat" programmes. A family receives a goat, they get milk for a couple of years, the goat gets too old to produce milk so they eat it. Then they have no goat. Selling their left over milk doesn't provide any sort of income either. Another example was one of the food aid programmes. In this particular place she spoke about, food is delivered once a month. The food is maize only, and is distributed so that each family gets the same amount. It doesn't matter what size the family is and if the maize runs out before the month is up, they are hungry until next delivery day. I suppose organisations have to choose between providing bandaid measures to tide over as many people as possible, or specialising in one area to ensure long term solutions. One goat isn't much help, but a breeding pair would be, wouldn't it? Maize is handy to have around, but it would be much more useful if they had enough to plant. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I've actually visited the villages that Save and CCF were active in, it's not just their bottom line. They are the real deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Orphan's Tear. They are a ministry of Heaven's Family. Dh and I know the family who runs it personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleWonders Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Our church is involved with Tumaini International. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina J Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 We've sponsored a girl through world vision for years. More recently we've started to sponsor a girl at www.schoolofstjude.co.tz. School of St Judes is a school in Tanzania for the poorest of the poor children. You don't sponsor the family, but you pay for the child to receive a first world education in English and hopefully break their way out of the poverty cycle. Another one I like but haven't started to donate to yet is www.mahbobaspromise.org. Here you can sponsor a child in an orphanage in Afghanistan or a widow and help her to keep her children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 We sponsor children through Dalit Freedom Network. DFN builds schools in villages in India, and the sponsorship helps pay for the children to attend the schools. Every quarter we get a packet which includes detailed school news for the schools "our" children attend. (for example, if the school is expanding grades, or they moved into a permanent building, or graduated a class from 8th grade). We also get a letter from the children. I believe they are doing very good work based on first-hand accounts we've heard from pastors and church members of a church in our area who take trips to India at least 2x/year. Sponsorship info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 We have sponsored children through Compassion International. Our first child was in Haiti and unfortunately, they had to stop it with that local organization because of financial irregularities. So I know they are keeping watch. Our next child we have had for 8 years so far. She is in Ecuador. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Wow, so many choices! Thanks for letting me know about all of these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalypso Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 One more CFCA www.cfcausa.org We have been sponoring a child with this org for 7 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Sent you a pm. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 That, and more, is the goal of Heifer International. No giving of one chicken (or goat) then and walking away. HI even reports some of their programs as "Fully Funded" Helping a whole family stay together, or helping a village begin become self-sufficient seems like such a lofty dream, and yet...www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.3538797/ I suppose organisations have to choose between providing bandaid measures to tide over as many people as possible, or specialising in one area to ensure long term solutions. One goat isn't much help, but a breeding pair would be, wouldn't it? Maize is handy to have around, but it would be much more useful if they had enough to plant.Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the4Rs Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Let me recommend The Raining Season in Sierra Leone, Africa. They have a new orphanage- the Covering and you can sponsor the orphans there in different areas like education, nutrition, clothing/personal, and medical or sponsor a child in all areas. The coolest part is that you get letters, pictures and also biweekly Skype phone calls with your sponsor child. You actually get to speak with your child and build a much more personal relationship with them! www.therainingseason.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldjoy Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I worked overseas for a missionary organzation. Becauseof the experience I am a bit skeptical when it comes to giving to organizations as I have seen the money in use. I worked for an organizational called Destiny Rescue. The founder/director was my boss. I know all the staff, many of the children in the Thailand program, and worked personally in the programs that overseas money fund. I would very much trust this organization. I worked with the Chiang Rai kids if you happen to go the website and look into it. http://www.destinyrescue.org/us/ What I like the most is that they use local people mostly as staff. Their programs is focused on empowering the people they help to help themselves. This is very important because if foreign money runs out (which is does all the time) the program still needs to be able to sustain itself. e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 80% of your $ goes to actual charity work with World Vision. And that's based on their own financial reports. Let's assume that they're honest, and those are the real numbers. However, there's always a possibility that they're not. At the very best 20% of your donations go to administrative costs. I look for charities that only keep 10%. That said, we chose a local French Canadian one, because I wanted the kids to be able to understand each other's letters. We pay for a child's education, and part of the money is directed towards the whole class, buying school material that benefit everyone in the class (a dictionnary, maps, etc..) The child gets a tutor at home once a week. We can send gifts but only through their portals. The charity wires the money (all of it!) and they buy it locally. That way the child does not stand out from the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpupg Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Christian Foundation for Children and Aging You can sponsor children or elderly folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punks in Ontario Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 is compare the administration costs of these three sponsorship programs to see which one sends the largest amount to your child. I know that some are far more efficient than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noel Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 i'm looking for a kind hearted person who are willing to sponsor my 3 boys aging 12,10 and 8 yrs old in their studies. im from bacolod city, philippines. my contact no.: +639295667272... thanks and may God touch your heart. God bless!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 https://donate.mcc.org/global-family Anything with MCC reliable, and they use their Mennonite values of thriftiness to make sure as much money as possible actually benefits the child and program as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 JAMfeeds children in our area. US$ 50 will feed one child for a year. Due to about 45% unemployment in our area and lacking social services, parents do not have the means to feed their children and it is often the only food these children get. $50 makes the difference between health and malnourishment. Hungry children cannot concentrate to learn, so they do not only provide food, but also the means to benefit from education. JAM addresses the immediate need of feeding children, but also has agricultural programs to teach people how to fend for themselves, clean water and other projects. Their motto is "Helping Africa to Help Itself". Unforetunately they don't have the administrative capacity to correspond with donor families directly, so you won't get any feedback about any one specific child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 We also sponsor a little man through World Vision and have been very pleased. At Christmas we usually sponsor a child or family locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Compassion International. One for each child that we have when they turn five or so. It has been such a blessing watching the kids grow with ours. 4 of them actually have the same first names and are roughly the same age as our oldest 4. DH and I have one from Haiti. We are going to aquire 2 more this year for our 5th and 6th children. The kids write them letters, send them pictures, give them b-day and Christmas monet etc. We'd love to go visit them someday. CI is a stellar organization and the requiremnts for families to be in the program are perfect in my estimation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatA Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 So I'm brand new to this forum and I've been lurking for about a week. I thought I'd finally reply to something! :001_smile: We sponsor children through Compassion International and Gospel for Asia and we like them both. But I know for sure that 100% of donations for Gospel for Asia go to the field. The staff in Texas where they're located is fully supported by donations themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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