How to Sponsor a Child

You might be prepared to sponsor a child, and looking around for how to complete the process. This article will help you break down the process of sponsoring a child with Children of the Mekong.

Written by: Carmen Lim

Sponsoring a child is rewarding, it brings peace to your mind. This is because we know that by sponsoring them, we are giving them a life source, a chance to live a better life, an opportunity to escape poverty, and the feeling of being loved. Nonetheless, it can be difficult in understanding the process of establishing a sponsorship. Many terminologies may be confusing. Here, we will go on and walk through the entire process together.

Filling in the "Sponsor a Child" Form

Upon deciding to sponsor a child, click this page and fill up the essential information. 

Firstly, select if you wish to sponsor a child or a group of children. While both options will cost you £28 a month, you will gain a different experience.

Sponsor a child or a group of children
Choose if you wish to sponsor a child or a group of children by left-clicking on a box

Should I sponsor a child or a group of children?

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With the sponsorship, children are more likely to remain in school.

Individual child sponsorships are personalised, as a child will be supported by only one sponsor. The sponsored amount will have a significant impact on the child and their family. For instance, the sponsorship can finance the child’s transportation, uniform, food, and textbooks, and enable the child to remain in school to complete the basic education. Each month, sponsors will receive letters from the sponsored child; every year, a newsletter about the sponsorship programme. This will help sponsors build up relationships with their sponsored child, and see them grow up being loved and cared for.

Collective child sponsorships help fund a group of children in a specific Children of the Mekong Project. These projects help to keep children afloat amidst difficult times like the COVID-19 pandemic, political instability, natural disasters, and the poverty cycle. With £28, your sponsorship will help improve the living conditions, food, clothing, and help these children continue their education. More details regarding the sponsored projects will be sent to you after setting up your sponsorship.

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Some Essential Information to Fill Up

Next, select your title and write your first name and last name in the next line. Then, fill in your postal address, email address and contact number. This is important as we need your details such as your postal address, so your sponsored child can write letters to you. You can choose if you want to fill in your date of birth or not.

child holding the letter she received from her sponsor
These information will enable the sponsored child to write letters to you! This process helps you build a strong bond with your sponsored child overtime!

Gift Aid It!

Gift Aid It
Left clicking “Gift Aid It” for a tick to be shown in the box will help maximize the good you can bring to the sponsored children from the £28 sponsorship.

Moving on, there will be an option for you to tick for “Gift Aid It!”. We encourage you to tick it if you are a taxpayer, as it would allow Children of the Mekong to reclaim tax on your donations. Indeed, if you Gift Aid your donations we can claim back from the government 25p for every £1 you donate to Children of the Mekong. This means that the £28 sponsorship will be directed to your sponsored child as much as possible.

Indicating your preferences and how you go to know us

In the next section, you can elaborate on your preference for child sponsorship, whether it is the country (Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar), the child’s gender (boys, girls), or the current projects that require sponsorships. Children of the Mekong will match you with your preferred sponsored child. Don’t worry if you do not have a preference, we will send you the profile of a child who needs the most sponsorship. Your sponsorship will make a difference and help improve a child’s and many children’s life significantly. 

Lastly, it would help us greatly if we could learn from where you heard about us. Left click the block and a drop down list will appear. Select an option that applies to you, and click submit to send in your sponsorship request.

Placing a Standing Order

After submitting the “Sponsor a Child” form, you will receive an email from our staff with instructions to place a standing order for the sponsorship to start. A standing order will enable us to renew your sponsorship every month, which will be sent to your sponsored child.

If you are not sure about how to set up the Standing Order, you can contact your bank and they will do it for you. Feel free to contact our team if you have any questions!

Children in Myanmar studying
A “standing order” helps us to renew your sponsorship every month. The continuous support will enable the children to continue studying and strive to escape poverty with your support

Beginning your journey as a sponsor

After Children of the Mekong receives your standing order, our team will follow up with more information and enclosed documents.

Firstly, you will be informed regarding the specific programme or child you will be sponsoring. If it is individual sponsorship, you will receive the child profile and picture. We will also attach the latest newsletter from our oversea volunteers that informs you regarding the sponsorship programme that your child belongs to. The country profile will help you better visualise the current living condition and environment of the children. For individual child sponsors, the template letter included can be used to write to your sponsored child for the first time. Last but not least, the leaflet will help you understand how correspondence with your sponsored child will work in the future.

As you reach the last step, you have already begun your journey as a child sponsor! Hope this brief article helps clarify the child sponsorship process. Moving on, with your support, more and more children will be able to continue their education, improve their living conditions, and fight against various difficult scenarios that they have to overcome. With the COVID-19 pandemic still widespread, it is important to lend your support. £28 is sufficient to change a child’s life.

Eugenie Munakarmi
Eugenie Munakarmi COO of the UK office - International Development Coordinator Contact