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At Children International, we have chosen sponsorship as our primary means for
helping children because we’ve found that pairing one child with one sponsor is the most effective way to receive consistent gifts from our donors…and therefore provide stable, ongoing benefits and services to the children we serve.
You may write letters to your child, provide special gifts for your child, and even visit your child – all to help create a lasting bond between you and your sponsored child. |
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Sponsored children treasure the correspondence they receive from their sponsors! And exchanging letters and photos with your sponsored child can help build a wonderful relationship that will be rewarding to both of you.
Your words of friendship and encouragement will help your child build self-esteem and hope for the future. By communicating with your child, you’ll be on your way to forming a friendship that will last a lifetime.
Because most sponsored children do not read English, a staff member in our field office will translate your letter. Both your original letter and the translation are given to your child.
The fastest, easiest way to write to your child is online. Just log in to “My Account” and click on “My Sponsored Child.”
Otherwise, you may enclose a letter and picture with your regular sponsorship contribution or send it separately. But be sure to include your full name, your child’s full name, and your child’s ID number (located in the upper right-hand corner of his or her family record) on the letter and picture to help us forward them to your child’s field office.
Please send letters to your child in care of our office:
Children International
P.O. Box 219055
Kansas City, MO 64121 |
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You may also include additional paper products like bookmarks, postcards or stickers. But we are unable to forward other materials like plastic toys, jewelry, wood products or metal objects.
Keeping in touch: Helpful hints for writing to your child.
Learn more about correspondence activities at our agencies.
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Sponsor Matt Cross (left) visited his
sponsored child, Maria Katrina (right).
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Meeting your sponsored child can change your life in unimaginable ways. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will cement a lasting and wonderful friendship…an opportunity to see with your own eyes how you’re bringing tangible help, optimism and self-esteem to someone special.
Traveling to your sponsored child’s community will confirm how important your sponsorship is to your child, their family and even the community. And you’ll see how grateful your child is to have such a good friend and supporter. |
Should you decide to visit your child, we ask that you contact our Kansas City office as soon as possible with specific dates. Our staff will gladly help arrange a visit with your sponsored child. We’ll also provide you with valuable information, procedures to follow during your visit, and other helpful material to make the most of your visit.
We follow strict child protection policies that are intended to ensure the safety and privacy of everyone involved. In compliance with those policies, we ask visitors to review and comply with our
visit guidelines. All visitors must also be accompanied by a field staff member at all times, and unannounced visits are prohibited.
Our field staff look forward to assisting you during your visit so you can truly enjoy time with your child rather than worrying about the uncertainties that arise when visiting someplace new for the first time.
To arrange a visit, call our toll-free number at 1-800-888-3089, or email us at children@children.org. You may also write to us at:
Children International
2000 East Red Bridge Road
Kansas City, Missouri 64131
Travel Arrangements and Expenses
All expenses for visits are the responsibility of the sponsor, including airfare, hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport.
Our field staff is happy to make arrangements directly related to your child’s visit, including translation assistance and transportation to and from your hotel to the central office and then to your sponsored child’s home.
Experience of a Lifetime
When planned in advance, visiting your sponsored child can be an amazing experience. In fact, sponsors who have visited their children rave about how meaningful and rewarding those visits are.
We hope you understand that some restrictions on your visit are necessary – including visiting hours with your sponsored child and your responsibility for your own expenses. These will help you have a better visit and help us use our funds to directly benefit the children. As always, please call us with any questions.
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| Sending gifts to your child |
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If you wish to send a package to your child, simply call or write to our Sponsor Services department and we will provide you with the address of your child’s field office. A word of caution, though – years of experience have taught us to discourage the shipment of individual packages for the following reasons:
- The cost to mail a package overseas can exceed the value of the items shipped
- Customs or duties taxes on the package contents can sometimes be up to an additional 100% of the value
- Damage or theft sometimes occurs during shipping and/or customs
- Due to the extra cost involved, we cannot accept responsibility for packages sent by sponsors
For these same reasons, we do not accept packages at our office in Kansas City. Any parcels received at our office are donated to a local children’s charity.
That’s why we encourage sponsors to send Special Gifts, which provide additional support specifically for your sponsored child and family.
Special Gifts
Sponsorship covers most of your child’s critical needs, but you may want to send extra contributions to offer additional support. “Special Gift” donations allow you to provide gifts specifically for your child and his or her family to help alleviate the burdens of poverty.
Depending on the amount of your donation and the needs of your child’s family, Special Gifts can range from beds and linens, clothing and household goods to kitchenware, furniture and even building materials for home repairs.
Please note that, as of October 1, 2011, the minimum amount for Special Gift donations is $50. Any contribution under $50 will go to our general fund, which provides assistance to all of our sponsored children and their families.
You can send Special Gifts in the amounts below at any time of the year:
- Gifts of $50 to $99:
In appreciation for your generous donation, you’ll receive information about what your gift provided and a personal thank-you from your child or a family member.
- Gifts of $100 or more:
As a sign of thanks, you’ll receive a personal thank-you, color photos of your child with the items provided, and a detailed description of how your contribution was used.
To make a Special Gift donation, contact Sponsor Services at 1-800-888-3089, or send a request and contribution to:
Children International
Attn. Special Gift
PO Box 219055
Kansas City, MO 64121
When sending a donation by check, please indicate that it is a Special Gift specifically for your child. Please also include your child’s full name and child ID number. Thanks!
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