Sponsorship Frequently Asked Questions
What does being a sponsor mean?
It means making a commitment to donate a certain amount of money to room, board, and education for a person in one of our programs. You can do this as an individual or as a group. As a sponsor, you may correspond with a particular person in one of our programs. The child who you are sponsoring will write to you from time to time. Once a year you will receive a picture of the person you are sponsoring.
How is my sponsorship money used?
Your sponsorship money is used to pay for the education, room and board of the individuals in our programs.
Does my money go directly to my student?
No, the money you send as sponsorship for a child does not go directly to that child. We cannot, in good conscience, allow a student who has more supportive sponsors to eat better, to be housed better, or to receive a better education than a student who has less supportive sponsors. Therefore, sponsorship monies go into a general fund that supports all of the students.
If there is a general fund, why am I assigned a child?
The child that you are assigned is your personal link to Mission Honduras International, and you become that child's link to the greater world. The child will feel gratified that you have chosen to take a particular interest in his or her well-being. Through your correspondence you will feel how they see the world and the student will get an impression of what life is like outside of Liberia.
Why do support and letters go to Chicago?
Mission Honduras has volunteers in Chicago who handle sponsorship, accounting, and volunteer recruitment activities.
May I send money directly to Liberia?
No, all of the letters you send for your sponsor child should be sent to Mission Honduras International in Chicago where they are sorted, processed, and sent to the mission in Liberia. If you would like to send an additional donation, this should be done through the Chicago address as well or the online donation site.
May I send a package to my sponsor child?
Yes. We recommend something small in size and practical. The more expensive and elaborate the gift, the more of a commodity it becomes - and it could be stolen and/or sold. Some examples of appropriate gifts would be stickers, socks, small prayer books, bookmarks, etc. Toys & candy are prohibited. At this time, we are determining the most efficient way to get packages to Liberia. Please contact us with questions or if you would like to send a package.
Why does it take so long for correspondence?
Liberia is a very undeveloped country and correspondence with Liberia Mission is primarily via the internet, which is unreliable and very slow. Because of these limitations, you can expect at least a two-month delay between the times when a letter is written and when it is received. If you are able to send an electronic version of your letter, preferably an email with no downloads, this will cut down on the time needed to process the letter and deliver it to your sponsor child.
May I send extra money to my sponsor child?
Through many years of experience, we have observed that personal monetary donations to a sponsored child, little as they may be, cause serious problems between those who receive money and those who do not. With your monthly donation, we are able to provide care that allows all our boys and girls to work, study, and grow in relative equity with one another - free of distractions. For this reason, we cannot accept and deliver personal monetary donations directly to your sponsored child. If you care to give more than you have agreed for a month, it will go into the general fund to be used for tuition, room, and board for all the children. When you send in your donation, please let us know if you want the extra gift to be counted toward your next month’s gift or just to be applied as an additional donation.
Please make checks payable to Mission Honduras International. On the memo line of the check, please note the student's full name and the months that the payment is for. You will not receive a monthly bill for payments due. Payments may be made monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. At anytime, you can sign up for recurring payments online by clicking here.
What if my child leaves the program?
We will notify you of the departure of the child, try to find a child similar to the one who has left (same status, sex, grade level, etc.), and assign the new child to you.
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