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Original poster

We want to sponsor a child .... CCF or World Vision - Which one??

22 replies

Ghosty · 07/10/2004 22:10

Is there a difference?

Our financial situation has improved over recent months to such an extent that we now really want to give something back. I have always donated to charity (Salvation Army is one of my favourites ... I also buy xmas cards every year from Canteen - an NZ charity for teenagers with Cancer ... MS society ... Guide Dogs ...) in fact, if there is a box being shaken anywhere I will always put a few coins in ...

But I would like to commit to something more 'real' and see some results of what my money is doing. So, we thought that sponsoring a child would be a good thing (also DS has seen a few adverts and wants to help the children who don't have much food or any toys) ...

So ... do you sponsor a child? ... What do you get for your monthly donation (letters, photos etc??)? How much of your donation actually goes to the child rather than being swallowed up by admin costs? What does your donation do for the child (education? clean water? clothes?) Have you been able to develop a relationship with the child?

Any thoughts appreciated

Love, G xxx

OP posts:
AuntyQuated · 07/10/2004 22:12

Ghosty, DH and I have had the same discussion tonight, so i will watch this with ineterset

JanH · 07/10/2004 22:21

Plan International is a good one, Ghosty, and not religious.

We sponsor a child in Ghana through World Vision - it's about £10 a month - we get a Christmas card and an annual report with a photo (always includes the fact that he's been wormed, bless!). We don't write often but when we do we get a letter back. There is also a magazine periodically with information from all over the world.

AFAIK most of the money gets through, but it doesn't go to the child but to the project - there are many children in the same village who are sponsored, and the money provides help for the whole village - education, health etc.

JanH · 07/10/2004 22:26

Dangme - where our child lives. ("Dangme" always makes me laugh!)

AuntyQuated · 07/10/2004 22:30

jan - that second link doesn't work

JanH · 07/10/2004 22:32

The Dangme one, AQ? Funny - still works for me and I'm not logged in or anything.

This is the URL :

www.worldvision.org.uk/ourinternationalwork/longtermprogrammes/gha-169736.asp

try pasting that!

roisin · 07/10/2004 22:33

Spooky - dh and I had this conversation today too! before reading this thread

Thanks for that link Janh, I've asked them to send me details.

AuntyQuated · 07/10/2004 22:35

strange, cut and pste doesn't work either; it brings a lost of places up no dangme tho'. but click on any and nothing happens

AuntyQuated · 07/10/2004 22:35

roisin, does the dangme link work for you..what am i doing wrong??

Original poster
Ghosty · 07/10/2004 22:36

Thanks JanH ... I don't think the first one will work for us as they don't seem to run from NZ ... but I will have a closer look at the WV one ....
Very helpful ...

OP posts:
AuntyQuated · 07/10/2004 22:37

OK, i've owrked it out.. it's my browser, we sue Mozilla Firefox which obviously didn't like it, swappd back to IE and it worked, thanks Jan

roisin · 07/10/2004 22:38

Yes Dangme works for me!

stupidgirl · 07/10/2004 22:42

We sponser a little boy in Peru with Plan.

We get reports and regular updates, as well as letters from the child himself. I've been really happy with the process so far.

Roisin · 22/11/2004 18:53

Janh - thank you
It's taken us a while to get our act together, but we have now sponsored a little boy in Zambia, and finally got the details through today ... through World Vision in the end - for various reasons, but mainly because in their bottom line more ££ went to the projects and less to admin and marketing.

Anyway, it's just in time - I hope - to win the boys round, and get them thinking a bit. Ds1 told me that animals are more important than people and what he really wanted to do was sponsor an orangutan in Indonesia!

JanH · 22/11/2004 20:52

Oh, that's great news, roisin - that would be Nyamphande presumably - just had a look and life expectancy and infant mortality rates are scary there. Did you choose Zambia or was it allocated?

LOL at the orangutan. I think your boys will find this very interesting, and rewarding too - have you had your first photo yet, so you know who you're writing to?

Do let me know if you have any brilliant ideas re sending presents. We have sent photos and football picture cards but being restricted to envelope thickness tests my imagination. Also the Christmas card for us to send came weeks ago and it is in a pile somewhere, your post has reminded me, thank you! I will dig it out tomorrow and send it.

Roisin · 22/11/2004 21:15

He's only 3.5! Aww so cute, though looks grumpy in the photo

We chose Zambia, as my parents worked out there, and I was actually born there. I have vague dreams of going back to visit one day, (though I was 3 when we returned to UK, so I have no memories of it) ... So who knows?!

It's actually a brand new WV project in Zambia in the Copperbelt in a region called Lufwanyama - it's not yet on the WV website.

How old is your sponsored child? If school age you could send pencils, crayons, that sort of thing?

JanH · 22/11/2004 21:24

Well WV do organise trips for sponsors so maybe you could visit with them in a few years...they have pictures in the magazine of sponsors visiting their children, it must be an incredible experience.

Our boy is 12 now but actually pencils/coloured pencils would be an excellent idea - he draws very well but the pictures we get are usually done in blunt wax crayon. Could probably slip in a slender rubber too. Thank you again!

JanH · 22/11/2004 21:25

btw ours usually looks grumpy in his photo too.

SantaQuated · 02/12/2004 18:02

anyone watch Denise Doo-Dah's report on This Morning today --- got me going. have now looked into this and are going to act tonight.
Seems like WV are the best - Roisin- did you dorganise it on the internet or 'phone. website seems pretty restrictive but would be easier

SantaQuated · 02/12/2004 18:07

WV website doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

Roisin · 02/12/2004 18:09

We phoned and organised it, but the phonelines aren't open late evenings. (I can't remember the office hours, but it certainly wasn't open when we phoned and dh had to phone again next day.)

If you have specific preferences about the child, or the region, then it's probably best to phone.

ACTUALLY it's all coming back to me! I expressed an interest via email (via the website), then someone phone me and offered to link me up with a child there and then before sending the papers through. But we wanted to compare a couple of different companies first, so they just sent us the forms. Then we phoned them later, (and then phoned again the next day when they were in), and sorted it out over the phone.

SantaQuated · 02/12/2004 19:27

thanks roisin; i've requetsed the info and form from the site but after watching 'this morning' would like to sponsor in Uganda, however the website implies that the greatest need is in Albania.
think we'll wait for the pack to arrive.

Kaz33 · 02/12/2004 20:11

We sponsor a boy in Tanzania through PLAN - one of the advantages for lazy souls like me is that you can buy a present from there catalogue and they will arrange it to be sent with your letter.

Again they are very professional and we get loads of info

PS: Mine looks very grumpy as well

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