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About Children International
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About Our Programs
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About Your Sponsorship
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About Our Contribution Amount
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ANSWERS
Q. Who is Children International, and where do you work?
A. Founded in 1936, Children International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization currently aiding over 300,000 impoverished children and their families around the world.
With the help and support of over 230,000 sponsors worldwide, Children International operates 18 international projects in 11 countries: Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States and Zambia.
Children International's program headquarters is located in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Q. What is Children International's mission?
A. Children International's mission is to help children living in dire poverty.
This is accomplished through the generosity of our contributors by providing children with program benefits and services that meet their basic needs, enhance their human dignity and raise their physical and educational levels in a meaningful, lasting way. Our vision is that each child will grow into a healthy, educated and self-reliant adult.
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Q. How can I be certain Children International is a legitimate organization?
A. Children International prides itself on its honesty and integrity and is highly rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy. Consumers Digest magazine also selected Children International as a leading U.S. humanitarian relief charity.
We'll be happy to send you a copy of our annual report -- just call our toll-free number,
1-800-888-3089, or request your copy when you fill out the Annual Report Request Form.
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Q. What is sponsorship?
A. Child sponsorship establishes a relationship between individual donors and sponsored children. Sponsors provide a monthly gift, which is used to help provide benefits for their sponsored children.
Children International has chosen sponsorship as our means for helping needy 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.
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Q. How much does it cost to sponsor a child?
A. Just $22
a month. That makes us one of the most affordable sponsorship organizations around. We've found ways to keep costs down without cutting into the care you help provide your child.
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Q. How can sponsors provide so much for $22 a month?
A. Children International looks for ways to keep costs down without sacrificing the care each child receives:
- We hire local professionals to work in our projects because it's not only less expensive, but we feel the citizens in these countries are best equipped to understand and meet the needs of sponsored children and their families.
- Whenever possible, we provide sponsorship to large numbers of children concentrated in the same area. This helps us more quickly and effectively distribute benefits, administer care and keep children and their families informed about programs and services.
- We use trained volunteers to help us carry out program activities -- many of whom are the parents and relatives of sponsored children.
- We purchase items for the children such as food, clothing and school supplies in bulk quantities in the countries where we work -- to save money and help the local economies.
- We work to acquire donated goods from corporations and companies.
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Q. How are the funds you receive used to help needy children?
A. In fiscal year 2007, total revenue to support Children International's humanitarian services was $128,703,029.
- Assistance programs were funded with $103,532,079 or 80 percent of Children International revenue. Services provided to sponsored children and their families with those funds included:
Medical care and nutritional support: Children International provided access to medical care for every sponsored child, funded and supplied medical and dental clinics in eleven countries, provided
follow-up care and medication to sick and injured children, supported preventive health campaigns around the world,
dispensed nearly a million anti-parasite treatments, and returned thousands of malnourished children to health through
feeding, educational and nutritional supplement programs.
Educational assistance: In addition to textbooks and school supplies for sponsored children, funds were
used to supply educational materials for classrooms, provide tutors where needed, and build, improve and expand
school facilities in a number of countries where overcrowding impeded learning. In some severely under-funded schools,
Children International assisted with teachers’ salaries. Vocational preparedness programs for sponsored youth were
implemented in many locations and expanded in others.
Clothing: Every child in the sponsorship program receives a number of new clothing items every year, ranging
from shirts, pants, shoes, socks, skirts and school uniforms to underwear.
Material aid: Sponsored children and their families received assistance with practical necessities such as
bedding, dishes, eating utensils, cleaning supplies, home furnishings and building supplies.
Youth programs: Children International supported a broad range of programs geared toward helping more than
100,000 sponsored teenagers learn about responsibility, leadership and civic involvement.
Housing Program: Nothing changes the lives of needy children more than moving from a shack with a dirt floor
to a home with extra space, sturdy walls and a concrete floor. Through a variety of programs, Children International
built or repaired hundreds of homes. In addition, numerous community-based projects, such as clean-water initiatives,
sewer projects and electrical developments were completed.
- Eleven percent or $14,543,683 was used to secure financial support. To meet our goal of helping as many children as possible, enlarging our base of support remains a crucial part of our work. Through television, magazine and direct mail advertising, we've more than doubled the number of children we're helping in the past nine years.
- Seven percent or $8,960,253 was used for management and general activities essential to the operation of the organization, including accounting, auditing and budgeting, office management and acknowledgment letters.
- Two percent or $62,348 was allocated for future use.
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Q. How do you ensure that the funds you receive are spent as your sponsors intend?
A. Financial accountability is a matter of paramount importance at Children International. Our Strong Foundation has been established through stringent accounting and financial reporting procedures to ensure that the funds and products that we send to our projects are properly used.
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Q. What types of benefits do sponsored children receive?
A. Through sponsorship, your child receives direct and vital benefits to help him or her grow up healthy and educated. You'll help provide important assistance, such as:
- Medical and dental care. Curative medical assistance is also available to sponsored children's family members in emergency situations -- a critical factor in maintaining good health, as well as providing the children with a healthier environment at home.
- A better chance for an education by helping remove barriers that can keep a child from attending school. This is accomplished by providing school-age children with needed items like school fees, books, supplies and uniforms.
- New, durable clothing.
- Improved living conditions, vocational training, nutrition education and other vital assistance that affects your child, as well as his or her whole family.
- Emergency food and vitamins.
- Structured activities to encourage moral and spiritual values.
- And much more!
Our program benefits focus on the needs of individual children. To help ensure the children receive the best possible care, detailed benefit registers, listing benefits received for each child, are signed by the children or their parents and kept on file in our field project areas.
See the How We Help Children section of our website for more information on our programs and services.
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Q. Does Ismael have a sponsor?
A. Every year our mailings inspire many people to learn more about sponsorship and its life-changing benefits. We currently feature a remarkable little boy from Honduras named Ismael. His energy seemed to leap from the page. Many people took note and have inquired about his well-being. You’ll be happy to know Ismael has been sponsored!
Because of sponsorship, he will have access to medical care, nutrition aid, clothing assistance and enhanced opportunities in regard to his education. For every success story like Ismael’s, there are thousands of other children who desperately need a sponsor. If you would like to receive information about one of these children, please call 1-800-888-3089 or search for a waiting child online.
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Q. What is a blog?
A. A blog is an online journal or diary. Children International’s blog went live in January 2007 to create a valuable channel for up-to-the-minute information regarding Children International, its programs, sponsors and sponsored children. One exciting component of the blog is the comments feature, which allows for a dialogue between Children International and you. Children International’s blog is located at www.childreninternational/blogspot.com. You can subscribe to our blog via
RSS.
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Q. What is RSS?
A. RSS or Really Simple Syndication is an exciting and powerful online tool to stay on top of Children International’s news, multimedia features, emergency information and blog. After downloading a free desktop feeder and subscribing to our feed, news items will be delivered to your desktop the moment they are posted. It’s like an email inbox dedicated to news that is important to you…Children International news. Click the RSS button on www.children.org or the blog to learn more.
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Q. Can I visit my child?
A. Of course! Nothing is better than meeting the child you are sponsoring face-to-face, to see how your child lives and witness firsthand what your contributions help provide.
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Q. Will my child write to me? Can I write to my child?
A. Yes! You will receive two letters a year from your child, approximately six months apart. Of course, you may write to your child as often as you wish. And you will receive a reply to your letter. Click here to learn more about corresponding with your child.
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Q. As a sponsor, what do I receive throughout the year?
A. You'll receive:
- Two letters from your child each year.
- A new color photograph of your child every year.
- Our magazine, Journeys, so you can follow all the wonderful changes Children International sponsors make possible around the world.
- An annual communication from your child's Agency Director to keep you informed about exactly what's happening in your child's community.
- The opportunity to send birthday, Christmas and Easter greetings to your child and help provide gifts on these and other special occasions.
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Q. Are my gifts tax-deductible?
A. Yes! Gifts to Children International are deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Consult your tax advisor for information about your specific situation.
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Q. Can I view my sponsorship contributions online and print a year-end tax receipt for my contributions?
A. Yes, simply log in to “My Account” (or create an account if you don’t already have one), and then click on “Contribution History” in the left-hand column. From our website, sponsors can view and print a year-end tax receipt for contributions made to Children International.
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Q. May I help my child through my employer's matching gifts program or the Combined Federal Campaign?
A. Absolutely! Many sponsors participate in their employer's Matching Gifts program -- in which the employer matches their employees' charitable contributions. Please contact your human resources or payroll department today to find out if they can match your contributions to Children International.
And, if you're a government employee, please consider helping Children International through the Combined Federal Campaign. Through this special program, a charitable contribution may be automatically deducted from your paycheck to give vital help to impoverished children.
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Q. Am I my child's only sponsor?
A. Yes, if you sponsor a child through our International Sponsorship program, your child will have only one sponsor -- you!
In our United States program, you join a "family" of sponsors to help make a dramatic and meaningful impact on the life of a U.S. child -- for only $22 a month.
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Q. Can I get free, no-obligation information on an actual child who needs a sponsor -- before I make my decision?
A. Absolutely! We'll send you the actual photo and personal history of one child who needs a sponsor -- completely free and with no obligation -- so you can see the child you would be helping before you decide. Just fill out our Information Request Form to receive your free information.
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Q. What percentage of the funds you receive is used for programs and services that benefit sponsored children?
A. We are proud of our financial accountability and integrity. Children International has been highly rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy, and Consumers Digest magazine has named Children International a leading U.S. humanitarian relief charity. In our fiscal year 2007, 80 percent of income was used for programs and services to
benefit children and families. You can learn more on this site about Children International’s strong financial foundation
and/or request a current Annual Report.
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Q. What payment options are available for me when making my sponsorship contributions?
A. Contributions can be made with a check, money order, debit card or credit card (Master Card, visa, American Express or Discover). You can sign up to have your contributions automatically withdrawn monthly, quarterly or yearly. You can also log in to “My Account” and make your payments online.
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Q. Why is Children International raising the requested contribution amount for your sponsorship program to $22?
A. This decision was made after careful examination of the steadily rising costs of providing meaningful, substantial sponsorship benefits to over 300,000 children. Just as you and I are paying more today than we were just a few years ago for food, clothing, fuel and other necessities, so it is with our sponsorship field projects.
In fact, inflation in many of the countries where we work is skyrocketing – and it's taking a toll on the operating costs of our project offices and making it more difficult for us to keep up with the increasing numbers of families requiring help.
Growing costs mean that our purchasing power just doesn’t stretch as far as it has in the past, which ultimately results in reduced effectiveness for our programs and less for the children you want to help.
We have a responsibility to provide the children with the best care we can. And we owe it to their sponsors too. Because we take this responsibility very seriously, we feel that an increase is in the best interest of continuing to provide meaningful benefits to the children.
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Q. What kinds of rising costs are you referring to?
A. The expenses associated with planning, managing and implementing a program that aids over 300,000 children in 18 field project locations are immense. Ongoing expenses include, but are by no means limited to, the following, all of which have experienced significant cost increases over the past few years:
- Providing clothing, school supplies, hygiene items, household goods and other material items
- Stocking health clinics with medicines and ensuring qualified doctors and health professionals are on staff
- Providing emergency medical care when a child needs surgery or treatment beyond what our clinics are equipped to provide
- Meeting the needs of the growing number of older children in our program through vocational education, job training and education on leadership skills
- Building latrines, implementing clean water projects, and improving the living conditions of children and their families
- Rebuilding lives of children and families in times of crisis such as floods, hurricanes, fires and other emergencies
- Covering transportation costs such as fuel, vehicles and maintenance so we can deliver sponsorship benefits to children in urban and rural areas
- Staffing our field projects with diligent, caring professionals who understand the children’s needs and how to meet them
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Q. Will my child benefit from my increased contribution?
A. Yes. All sponsored children will benefit from the increased amount, because it will allow us to maintain a consistent level of high quality benefits throughout our program. For more information, you can learn more on this site about the sponsorship benefits we provide to sponsored children.
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Q. How does your new contribution amount compare to that requested by other sponsorship organizations?
A. At $22 a month, Children International remains the lowest-cost major child sponsorship program. We’ve been able to keep our costs down through careful planning, smart spending, utilizing volunteers, and through intensive evaluation of our programs for maximum effectiveness. And we’ll continue to spend your contributions carefully and wisely to benefit your child.
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Q. Is this a mandatory increase?
A. No. The decision on whether or not to raise your contribution amount is entirely yours. Of course, the more sponsors who can support the new giving level means the more impact we can have on our programs for needy children. Although we hope that you agree with the reasoning behind our decision, we certainly understand if you are not able to increase your contribution amount right now.
We only ask that if you are unable to increase your giving amount, you contact us as soon as possible so that we may adjust your sponsorship account accordingly. Please notify us by calling 1-800-888-3089 or emailing us at children@children.org.
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Q. I sponsor a child using your Automatic Payment system. How will the new amount affect my regular charge or withdrawal?
A. We are asking sponsors who use our automatic payment service to increase their giving amount, which will affect any regular charges and withdrawals made on or after April 1, 2007.
Because there are many different ways in which sponsors utilize our automatic payment service and we want to make sure we provide you with accurate information, please contact one of our Sponsor Services representatives at 1-800-888-3089, Monday through Friday, for details about your specific sponsorship account.
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