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Original poster

Does anyone sponser/eduacate a child overseas? how?

35 replies

camera · 12/12/2006 11:00

I want to pay for education for a girl in India so she can access a better life but not sure which organisations are better than oters or any to stay well clear off? does anyone know?,thanks

OP posts:
HumphreyCushiONtheFirstNoel · 12/12/2006 11:06

Plan International have always been really good for us.
Contact with your sponsored child through letters, and excellent updates to let you know how Plan International are helping their local community.
HTH.

Original poster
camera · 12/12/2006 11:12

thanks will look

OP posts:
nearlythree · 12/12/2006 11:18

We sponsor a little girl in Kenya. We get regular letters plus a copy of her school report. Last year she failed in everything except agriculture and stayed down a year, this year she did well in all subjects and has gone up! She has just sent us the alphabet written on a postcard!

DINOsaurmummykissingsantaclaus · 12/12/2006 11:19

I sponsor a child in India through ActionAid.

nearlythree · 12/12/2006 11:19

Sorry, should say we sponsor through World Vision. And dd1, who is four, learns so much through talking about her, she looks at a map of the world to see where she lives and discusses things like injustice and poverty.

Loshad · 13/12/2006 12:33

We sponsor a child through world vision - have done so for years, but Dh was very upset when after about 6 years or so they pulled out of supporting the village where our sponsored child lived ( I think they thought they had done enough work there) - he had formed quite an attachment to him, and felt it was very unfair on the child and his family to remove this support. We are still sponsoring a child though them, but DH is much less invovled with this boy, and doesn't write or send photos.

catesmum · 13/12/2006 14:59

we started sponsoring a child in Mozambique when we first got married (8 years ago) through World Vision, and we get letters and updated photos back - we also get to send stuff out to her. We chose World Vision because they don't spend a lot on admin and the whole community benefits

nearlythree · 14/12/2006 10:17

Loshad, that's so sad. But then the aim of WV and others is to enable communities to stand on their own feet without help from us. Sounds like they did a good job.

Loshad · 14/12/2006 10:44

I'm sure they did nearlythree, I think DH had got a bot overinvolved possibly,but he was genuinely really upset. It has got to be good news if a village doens't need help any more.

hermykne · 14/12/2006 10:46

camera
childfund.ie or .com, we sponsor a little boy in india, lal, nad its lovely receiving letters from him about his world.
a very nice organisation.
hth

Festivefunfilledfennel · 14/12/2006 11:06

We have a boy in Tanzania with Actionaid. But I don't know how good they are, we only did it recently. They seem OK so far.

FairytaleOfNewNORKSBRIDE · 14/12/2006 11:11

I've sponsored through World Vision for 7-8 years. My original child, a little girl in Kenya, moved with her family to another town last year so now I have a little boy in Niger. The feedback is good and you get sent printed birthday & christmas cards to send back and can include small light presents.

As nearly3 said, it's great for your own DCs too.

suzanneme · 15/12/2006 10:26

I sponsor a little girl in Colombia through Plan International, and find them excellent.

Milly1968 · 15/12/2006 14:30

We sponsor a little girl through Action Aid in India. We're somewhat disappointed as we set up our direct debit over 12 months ago, however, we haven't yet any letters from her. This has been particuarly disappointing for my 7yr old dd who would love to receive a letter from India and find out a little more about her.

NappiesGalooooooooooooria · 15/12/2006 15:15

i like sos childrens villages. they run villages for orphans all over the place. educate them and give them a home and future. not with religious strings attached either (which i like).

CliffRichardSucksEggsinHell · 15/12/2006 15:19

I used to work for GoodRock and you can sponsor children through them. I can vouch for these people, they have literally put their lives on hold to help the countless abandoned babies in China because of the one-child policy. They campaign for a change in the law in China, they work closely with the government to try to change things, they try to keep all the children in their own country by encouraging older couples whose children have left home, to adopt.

If you sponsor one of their children you do get regular updates.

DINOsaurmummykissingsantaclaus · 15/12/2006 15:47

Milly, you should contact ActionAid about this - I get one or two letters a year from the child we sponsor.

Milly1968 · 15/12/2006 20:13

I have contacted Action Aid twice and have been told that a letter would be sent within a week or so. However, so far we've received nothing which is very disappointing for my dd who is really keen to receive a letter from India. She is always talking about the little girl, however, so far, we know very nothing about her, other than what was in the original information pack.

DINOsaurmummykissingsantaclaus · 17/12/2006 16:01

That's a real shame, Milly.

fridascruffs · 17/12/2006 16:20

I've never sponsored a child but I do donate and I'm a former aid worker (with MSF). JUst wanted to say, I've seen World Vision operate in the field, and I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole. they're evangelical Chrisitans and conversion and preaching is part of the agenda. Personally I don't want my money to be spent on Bibles. Action Aid I think has a good reputation, and I've heard nothing bad about Plan.

NappiesGalooooooooooooria · 17/12/2006 19:15

well said frida.

i want my money to go and help people who really need it, not sodding missionaries.

and im personally not bothered if they dont write to me. im sure they have more pressing matters to attend to than my ego/feelings/interest in them (sorry to be blunt but thats how i feel!)

Festivefunfilledfennel · 18/12/2006 10:33

I think the idea of getting feedback is a bit different if you've got young children though, the idea of a child with a photo and who might write to them is terribly exciting for small children. Mine have written and send pictures to the sponsor child and if a letter comes back from a boy in a Tanzanian village it will be a huge deal for them.

SueBaroo · 18/12/2006 14:03

We sponsor two children, one Dalit girl through OM India, in a project which is specifically focused on education, and a little boy from Kenya through Compassion, which is a rather broader community project.

And for full disclosure purposes, they're Christian organizations, but the girl is actually a Muslim. We have pictures of them on the mantel with other 'family' pictures, and my girls enjoy the sending and receiving letters.

tattygirl · 18/12/2006 21:43

I'm planning to sponsor a child through this organisation in the New Year. The Sunday Times ran an article on the lady that set up the charity recently.

www.p-c-f.org

(The Phillipine Community Fund)

hatwoman · 18/12/2006 21:49

we sponsor a boy in Zimbabwe through Plan International and we also contribute to Oxfam's Life project here which is like sponsoring a village. I have to confess I have not followed it carefully though so can't tell you much more