Why sponsor a child?

Sponsoring a child is an opportunity to change someone’s life forever. If you sponsor a child, you will be making a long-term difference to one of the poorest children in the world. In addition, you will have the opportunity to be involved in your child’s life as much or as little as you want. You can contact them by writing letters or sending birthday and Christmas cards. It can be the start of a long-term relationship

How does Child Sponsorship work?

If you want to become a child sponsor, first of all you select the child that you would like to sponsor. Once you have registered with us as a sponsor, you start to support that child monthly by setting up a Standing Order with your Bank to Jacob’s Well Appeal in the UK. See “How to pay” section.

Your money is specifically ear-marked to be spent on that child and won’t be used for anything else. We will send 100% of the money that you give overseas to finance the involvement of the child that you are supporting in the ABC school, which Jacob’s Well partners. Attendance at the school includes free food and primary medical care.

How much does Child Sponsorship cost?

It costs £19.50 a month to sponsor a child. That’s about 65p/day.

It costs £50.00/month for a Boarder due to the extra accommodation costs, so each Child needs 2 Sponsors, making it £25 per person. Just 83p/day

Will the cost rise as the child grows up?

We try to avoid raising the cost of sponsorship to donors, as we know how money can be tight. We review the cost of sponsorship once each year, taking into account factors like inflation in the UK and in the child’s country, the exchange rate between the two countries, and the actual average cost that we have incurred in looking after your child.

The cost of sponsorship will never increase in a way that is disproportionate or unreasonable.

If the cost of sponsorship has to rise, we tell donors in advance. If the raised level of sponsorship becomes a problem, we are happy to discuss this with donors and existing donors can carry on paying for their child at the existing rate, unless the difference becomes too great.

At what point in the child’s life does my sponsorship stop?

Your sponsorship is to support the child through his or her education.
When your child has finished their primary and secondary education at the ABC school, your sponsorship of that child will come to an end.

Of course, you may want to stay in touch with your child after they leave school. That is something that could be very beneficial for both you and your child. At that point you will be given the choice as to whether you want to sponsor another child or to finish your financial support to Jacob’s Well Appeal.

What happens if I stop my sponsorship?

Once you choose to support a child, Jacob’s Well Appeal is committed to that child. If your circumstances change and you can no longer sponsor a child, we will understand. We will, however, need to find another sponsor for the child as soon as possible. If you decide to end your support, we would be grateful if you could let us know. If it is possible to give us some advance warning, that would be even better. If you stop your support, we will immediately look for a new sponsor. The education of your child will continue uninterrupted.

How can I be sure that my money gets through to pay for the cost of my child?

Jacob’s Well Appeal only works within countries where we have our own projects. In this way, we ensure that our funding is handled by people that we trust and are in regular contact with, instead of by any third parties. Over the years, we have developed a system of financial accountability that makes is difficult for money to be mis-directed or used in an inappropriate way. In addition, all the money received has to be accounted for in an annual report that is sent back to our head office. We are able to account fully for all the money that we receive, and have audited accounts that are publicly available at any time.

Within the UK, Jacob’s Well Appeal is regulated by the Charities Commission – a legal body which oversees all UK charities and their activities. We are a not-for-profit organization, and we know that the continued support we receive is dependant on our efficient use of supporters’ money. Our annual report is available to anyone who requests it (a small admin charge may be required for this).

Can I choose which child I sponsor?

Yes. You can choose which child you would like to sponsor from their photograph and personal profile information as displayed on our web-site. Currently, in the UK we are encouraging people to sponsor children in Burkina Faso and Kenya, West Africa. If you would particularly like to sponsor a child from another country that we work in, please contact us, and we can send you details. We have children available for sponsorship in 9 different countries.

Can I write to my child?  Will I receive letters back?

When a person sponsors a child, he receives a report with information on the child and 3 photo’s. He will also receive a Christmas card, letter or drawing, a new photo every year and an annual report of the child’s progress. To see a model annual report please click here.

You will also be able to write to your child. We will also let you know your child’s birthday, so that you can send your child a birthday card if you wish to. We also encourage the sending of a card at Christmas too. If your child doesn’t speak English, we will make sure that your letter is translated for your child into his/her own language. Whilst the children always like getting letters, we do not make children reply to every letter that they receive. Some children do so themselves and sometimes they correspond frequently with sponsors, especially if they can communicate in the same language.

Can I send presents?

Yes you can! We recommend that gifts are no bigger than an A5 size envelope. It is not recommended to send larger gifts for various reasons:

* Large gifts usually incur customs taxes which have to be paid by the local family before the gift is released, money which they don’t have.

* Larger presents are more likely to go astray! Remember that your package will pass through the hands of many people within the destination country’s postal service before it arrives at the Jacob’s Well Project address. Many of these postal workers will themselves be poor and may not be totally honest!

*Larger items are also more likely to get damaged in the long journey over bumpy roads to the package’s final destination!

What about Jacob’s Well Appeal administration costs?

No deductions are made from the sponsors’ payments for our administration. We are very grateful for the hundreds of hours of

work done by volunteers, which helps to keep our costs low. Our administrative costs are be met by other (general – or unrestricted) donations and from the tax that we recover on donations given through the government’s Gift Aid scheme. If you are a UK taxpayer, Jacob’s Well Appeal can reclaim from the government 25p for every pound that you give, increasing the value of your donation by almost one third, at no extra cost or trouble to you.

Can I visit my child?

Yes you can, although this does require a lot of preparation by everyone involved. Travel within the third world can be unpredictable and difficult for those who are not used to it. In order to help us ensure that your visit is a positive experience for both you and your child, we would ask for a minimum of three months notice if you wish to visit your sponsored child. Remember, if you can’t speak the same language as your child, we may also need to arrange for an interpreter to be present. For more information about visiting your child, please contact Jacob’s Well Appeal office on 01482-881162

How to pay?

To complete the standing order form for your bank please click here Word or PDF

OR if you do Internet Banking then you can set it up on line. Easy!