Sponsorship FAQ
Want to know more about sponsorship?


What is a RwandaChild Sponsor?

As a sponsor, there is a real connection between you and the child you support. The child you sponsor will know your name, write to you and benefit directly from your monthly sponsorship. Many of these children don't have parents. Maybe their parents were killed in the genocide, are in prison for genocide crimes, or have died of AIDS. These children are starving for love. So when someone they don't know, in another country, takes an interest to help them go to school and have food and medical care, that person becomes special to them and in a way you become an extended family.


If I must discontinue my sponsorship, what happens to the child I'm helping?

Occasionally some find it is just not possible to continue sponsoring a child. This is understandable. However, if you need to discontinue your support PLEASE do tell us so we can immediately look for a new sponsor for your child and continue the child's support without interruption.



Will I be the only person sponsoring the child I'm helping?

Yes. The child you're helping has just one sponsor: you. That's why your prayers, letters and support mean so much to your sponsored child. Even if you choose to sponsor a child as a family or a group (for example, a youth group or a Sunday school class), the child you help will still be relating to your family or group as his or her only sponsor. No other group or individual will also sponsor the child you help. (In exceptional circumstances there may be 2 sponsors for one child, but all sponsors will be made aware of this at the start of sponsorship)


How long should my sponsorship last?

RwandaChild sponsorship offers you the opportunity to stay with a child for a number of years, usually until the child completes secondary education. While we hope that you will be able to continue in your support of your sponsored child until he or she completes the RwandaChild program, we recognise that sponsors' circumstances sometimes change. You may discontinue your sponsorship at any time. Please understand that a sponsored child's circumstances may change, too. For example, sometimes families move beyond the reach of the sponsorship program and children have to leave RwandaChild sponsorship. We will inform you as quickly as possible if any such circumstance affects the child you sponsor, and we'll offer you the opportunity to support another child in need of your help.


How much of my £25.00 a month actually gets to the child?

All donations for sponsorship are pooled as the needs of each child differ widely and some need more help than others. £20.00 is an average of the cost to help a child.£20 of your sponsorship goes directly to the child and £5 goes to administrative costs and RwandaChild reserves. Without this donation we could not run the sponsorship scheme and have the worker who looks after the children or improve the child's environment. This part of the donation also generates a fund to help children who go on to further education or vocational courses pay their fees after sponsorship has finished. It can also be used for emergency needs of a child within the RwandaChild sponsorship programme. In addition to the benefits listed above, we also want to improve the child's environment, which is why we also help at different times with feeding the poor, providing bedding for families and helping to build a new base for the sponsorship program (The Dream Centre) where 100 street children meet and are cared for every weekday. Where sponsors give more than £25.00 a month, the surplus gift is designated for our general purposes.



Will my child write to me?

Your child should write to you (a minimum of twice a year). A worker will help children who have yet to learn how to read and write. Letter writing is developmental for children as it improves their basic literacy, their self-awareness and their ability to put thoughts and feelings into words. As you share your own family and personal concerns with the child you support, you'll probably discover that he or she is consistently praying for you. In the unlikely event that you don't get a letter from your child after a period of 6 months, please contact us so we can investigate your child's situation.


Can I be friends with my child on Facebook?

No. RwandaChild requests that sponsors only communicate with their child through our approved processes of communication. Please do not connect with your child through social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Without the proper oversight, children, their friends or their family members could use the relationship with a sponsor for personal gain. Additionally, children sign a communication agreement when first registered in the program and face serious consequences if they fail to adhere to this agreement.


What other opportunities will I have to learn about the child I'm helping?

In addition to letters from your sponsored child, we will send you periodic newsletters updating you about RwadaChild’s work. These and our website and blog will keep you up to date with developments. If you want to know something that doesn't appear on the website, do contact us and we'll try our best to answer your questions. If you want to know more specific information about your sponsored child or their family, do send or email your questions to the UK office and we will forward them to our workers in Rwanda and they will try to answer these as best as possible.


May I send gifts to my child?

Yes. RwandaChild encourages sponsors to give additional monetary gifts to their sponsored children for special occasions, to address specific needs, or simply as an act of love, or for birthdays and Christmas. These gifts are another effective way for you to reinforce your care and commitment to your child. Local project workers purchase gifts on behalf of our sponsors and make certain that these funds are used appropriately. As a guideline, we ask that sponsors keep these contributions between £5 and £100 for each child and limit their gift giving to twice a year, to avoid dependency. Larger gifts are better applied to RwandaChild projects that benefit everyone. Monetary gifts (i.e.: cheques) must be sent through the UK office - please write your child reference number on the back of the cheque, payable to: "RwandaChild". Please note: the child or their family are not given cash but tell our worker what gift they would like. This is then purchased on their behalf. This avoids problems where there may be alcoholism or other problems in the family. We are not able to specify a particular item from the UK. The child and their family will know best what is needed. In the unlikely event that you believe a monetary gift has not reached your child, please contact us at the UK office. We have very detailed records of what was sent, when and to whom. In Rwanda detailed records are also kept and we are normally able to trace all gifts successfully. In the event of a gift that is established to have been received by us and failed to arrive with the child, we will send or resend the gift (at our own expense) and track its arrival. In the very unlikely event that a gift was not sent by us, it will always be listed as designated for your child and will never be used for other purposes. It will be sent at the next monthly payment to Africa after the matter was drawn to our attention. Please do not send a gift for your sponsored child before receiving confirmation of sponsorship, as this will lead to confusion in the system.