Fight School Drop Out in Shan State, Myanmar
The current situation in Myanmar is more than complex – ethnic minorities are torn between a political crisis, increasing poverty, drug and human trafficking […]
Sponsored children: 8 of 28
Can I Write To My Sponsored Child?
Is It Useful To Write A Letter To A Sponsored Child?
Yes, of course, writing a letter is highly recommended, and once you sponsor a child one of the things to look forward to the most is writing to them.
Making this connection can help a child feel important and allows them to practice writing, by returning the letter sent thus demonstrating what they have been learning at school. Most importantly it has numerous positive effects on the children and allows you to keep up to date with what helps them get through tough times, offers them a form of encouragement, and feeds their curiosity.
The Power Of Writing A Letter To A Sponsored Child
Why should I write a letter to my sponsored child?
Being able to write a letter to a child halfway across the world is magical. Letter writing is one of the best ways for you to develop a bond and a lasting relationship, that you will both cherish forever. It is also often the case that you are the only person sending the children letters which makes them feel special and important.
It provides the children with a sense of long-distance community, improves their self-confidence and gives them something new to look forward to, whilst also allowing them to learn more about you and your life. Furthermore, they are also able to put the things they have learned at school to practice and to be able to talk about their new experiences and adventures.
Children are curious and friendly and want to learn more about you and your life, therefore by sending a hand-written letter full of information about their lives and want to tell you about theirs, it’s a beautiful way of forming a bond.
This clever way of communication has been made possible by volunteers and translation committees that spend the time translating the messages to get rid of the language barrier. The sponsor and sponsored children can develop a relationship and friendship without borders.
When Children of the Mekong or local managers and volunteers visit sponsored children, often they have postcards and letters pinned on their walls that have been sent from their sponsors. This demonstrates that children are strongly impacted by the letters that they receive.
Children that may have not known initially how to write letters back to a sponsor, over time become encouraged to read and write back as they become more mature and willing to tell you more. They come to realise that the sponsor wants to develop a relationship with them and have an ongoing conversation, further changing their minds to want to write back. As a sponsor you can possibly even visit them in the future, it very much gives the children something to look forward to.
Many people have questions regarding writing a letter to their sponsored child:
- How can you ensure the child receives the sponsored letter?
- Do the children want to receive them?
- Can they write back?
Li, sponsored child of Children of the Mekong
“In my family, my uncle brought me up alone. He gets up early, goes to bed late and his health is degrading. I will admit, I cried of joy when I heard I was being sponsored. I am very serious about my studies and I also actively volunteer to help other people in need.”
Li, sponsored child of Children of the Mekong
How To Write A Letter To A Sponsored Child : THE DOS and THE DON’TS
THE DOS | Tips for writing to your sponsored child
So, what are the main tips?
- Write in a manner that’s easy to understand – have to remember that the letters have yet to be translated before they can be sent to the children. Ensure that your letter is clear and age-appropriate as many young children are still learning to read.
- Share a bit about yourself: introduce yourself, your family hobbies, and recent fun activities.
- Reassure the child that they are not alone through providing them with encouragement although you may not be near the children, reassuring them that you are thinking about them, are there for them, and helps them not to feel emotionally alone. Ask them about new things that they may want to try and things in life they would like to explore, such as a new hobby.
- Talk about simple things that are easy to translate and allow the children to write a lot back, even tell them how you keep your head high when in a difficult or stressful situation.
- Send photos of you and your family, even drawings and messages from your children to show them visual information about you and your family, it is nicer to put a name to a face.
- Show you are interested in them and their life and their achievements in school, write enthusiastically asking questions about them and their life, school, friends, family, activities, what they hope to learn or achieve and what thinks they have to be excited for in the future.
THE DON’TS | What to avoid when writing a letter
People worry that they may not be able to reach their sponsored child or may say the wrong thing when they do. What shouldn’t you write in a letter?
- It is clear that one should not use offensive or rude language, as well as slang words as they would be unable to be sent or untranslatable. This also includes adding anything political and religious to the letter, they are inappropriate and may come across as offensive.
- Asking personal questions is unnecessary and thus sharing personal information is too. Anything along the lines of, full names, addresses, mobile numbers, work/school names, and locations.
- Writing about the children’s appearance, specific questions about their health or the health of their family are inappropriate as they may upset the children.
- Do no portray your life or things around you or the child’s life in a negative way, the children have enough things to worry and think about and receiving a letter is a positive happy gesture and should not pose a negative outlook on life. Everyone is going through something and they don’t need to be reminded of unhappy times.
- Using too affectionate language or insinuating that you love him as your children should be avoided as it may confuse the children, as you are not in their family either.
WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR SPONSORED CHILD
In short, yes one can write to their sponsored child, in fact, it is very much encouraged for your sake as the sponsor and for your sponsored child. Being able to compose a letter and send it has been made possible by us and other charitable organizations. Through writing, translating, and then sending the letter all the way to the countries in Southeast Asia where the child you sponsor lives, the children are able to receive a letter full of love and support.
It is a powerful way of developing a relationship and showing your support to a young child in need that’s curious and interested in you and your life.
Although it is clear that there are things to avoid writing in the letters, there are a number of things that can be spoken about that allow you to learn more and more about your sponsored child. It also encourages many children that weren’t initially interested in writing to someone.
Did you know? You can send your letters to your sponsored child by email!
SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEED NOW
Countering war through education in Nam Hkai
The Nam Khai programme supports the education of children who live in an isolated rural region plagued by armed conflict, drug trafficking and human […]
Sponsored children: 21 of 25