Everything you need to know about the sponsorship adjustment

As you may know, the sponsorship contribution will be adjusted this June 2025 to better address the sharp inflation in our countries of operation.

Our local volunteers and overseas volunteers on the ground report increasing difficulties in purchasing essential goods and school supplies, both vital to ensuring a high-quality education for our sponsored children.

Below are the answers to all the questions you may have.

On this page, you can also understand inflation in Southeast Asia, find out what we are doing to limit costs, and give us your approval on the sponsorship adjustment.

Children of the Mekong’s mission is to effectively address and adapt to the needs on the ground. The sponsorship contribution has remained unchanged for eight years (since 2017). Meanwhile, inflation across Asia has been relentless. The cost of living is increasing for everyone, and even more so for the most vulnerable families.

In Laos, for example, prices surged by 23% in 2022, 31% in 2023, and 25% in 2024. By adjusting the sponsorship contribution, we guarantee it continues to be a vital lifeline for families, helping cover school fees, meals, transport – in short, everything that allows children to go to school.

Starting from 1st June 2025, the sponsorship contribution will increase:

UK: from £28 to £32 per month for a child sponsorship (£43 to £47 for a university student)
USA: from $35 to $45 per month for a child sponsorship ($50 to $60 for a university student)
Singapore: from SG$50 to SG$55 per month for a child sponsorship (SG$75 to SG$80 for a university student)
Hong Kong: from HK$260 to HK$320 per month for a child sponsorship (HK$400 to HK$450 for a university student)

This adjustment allows us to continue supporting each child according to their specific needs. With your help, they can study, grow, and confidently build their future. A heartfelt thank you for your generosity!

The slight variation in sponsorship amounts across different currencies is due to:

Transaction fees: We partner with online platforms such as Myriad USA, Every.org, and Give.Asia to process sponsorship donations, and these platforms charge transactional fees.
Exchange rate fluctuations: Currency exchange rates fluctuate, and we need to account for these variations to ensure sustainability on the sponsorship given to the children.

Any difference received is used to support our education programs in Southeast Asia.

If this new sponsorship amount is too high for you, please let us know. We can keep your sponsorship at today’s rate and will seek alternative funding (such as bequests and foundations) to cover the difference. This way, your sponsored child can continue their education, and you can keep supporting them with your sponsorship.

The equivalent of €4 will go directly to the sponsored children; the difference (which will fluctuate every month due to the transaction fees and exchange rate) will be used to support our education programs in Southeast Asia.

In detail, here is how:
👉 The equivalent of €3 are directly allocated to your sponsored child or their family. These funds, like the rest of the sponsorship, are used to meet the children’s needs, including school supplies, uniforms, transport, extra tuition, hygiene kits, and healthcare expenses.

👉 The equivalent of €1 supports key educational projects for the sponsored children: career guidance forums, summer camps, group educational events, workshops…, and initiatives that foster the children’s growth, both academically and personally.

At Children of the Mekong, we do not simply send children to school. We want to see them thrive, gain confidence, and grow into proud and responsible adults.

The slight variation in sponsorship amounts across different currencies is due to:

Transaction fees: We partner with online platforms such as Myriad USA, Every.org, and Give.Asia to process sponsorship donations, and these platforms charge transactional fees.
Exchange rate fluctuations: Currency exchange rates fluctuate, and we need to account for these variations to ensure sustainability on the sponsorship given to the children.

Any difference received is used to support our education programs in Southeast Asia.

We understand the increase may be challenging for some, and your support is already invaluable. If you cannot increase your contribution, there is no need to worry. Just let us know before 1st June. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners, we will cover the difference so your sponsored child is not affected.

What matters most is that you continue to support them, and that is priceless!

Inflation has also affected our families. As a result, we offer the option to keep your sponsorship at the actual rate if you are unable to make this adjustment.

If life is becoming more expensive here, imagine what it means for a family living on $2 a day! In Asia, when prices rise, plates go empty, notebooks run out, and sometimes, education must be given up altogether.

At Children of the Mekong, we could not just stand by. Adjusting the sponsorship contribution ensures that every child has what they need to continue their education and succeed.
Yes, it is a sacrifice, but it is one that makes a real difference. Thanks to you, we can continue to give these children not just an education, but a future!

Learn more about inflation

You sponsor a child in GBP

If you pay by credit card, you just need to confirm your agreement to this adjustment on this form. We will handle everything else.
If you pay by Standing Order, please remember to adjust your sponsorship amount on your Standing Order with your bank
If you do not wish to change the amount or require assistance, let us know here.

You sponsor a child in USD

Our partner Every.org sent us guidelines on how to amend your monthly donation amount:

Recurring donors who were logged into their account when making their gift may login with their login method (email and password, or Google) and then visit their recurring donations page to update their gift.
For recurring donors who did not create an account or were not logged in, then Every.org must update the amount for you. Please reach out to Every here if you need assistance.
If you are unable or unwilling to increase your contribution or if you require assistance, let us know here.

You sponsor a child in SG$

You need to confirm your agreement to this adjustment on this form. We will change the amount of sponsorship in your monthly donation on Give.Asia.
If you are unable or unwilling to increase your contribution or if you require assistance, let us know here.

You sponsor a child in HK$

You need to confirm your agreement to this adjustment on this form. We will change the amount of sponsorship in your monthly donation on Give.Asia.
If you are unable or unwilling to increase your contribution or if you require assistance, let us know here.

You sponsor a child in EURO

Please check our French website.

If you are unable or unwilling to increase your contribution, just let us know.

If you have any questions, feel free to give Eugenie a call (or WhatsApp) at +44 (0) 7412692254. We are here to help.

It is wonderful that your sponsored child has started their higher education! You were asked to increase your contribution to support this exciting journey. A huge thank you for stepping up!

Following the recent increase in sponsorships, the student sponsorship amount is now £47 / US$60 / SG$80 / HK$450. If you can increase your contribution further, it would provide invaluable support for your sponsored child’s academic progress. On average, our sponsored students in higher education estimate their monthly expenses at €200. Every small contribution has a meaningful impact on their lives.

If this is not possible, do not worry—we will cover the difference through the support of our partners and donors, ensuring your sponsored child continues to receive all the necessary support. Just let us know on this form.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Thanks to you, thousands of young people can pursue their dreams and build a brighter future!

If you pay for your sponsorship yearly, we will be asking you to make a one-off donation to cover the difference until the end of the 12-month your payment has covered.

Then, for the year to come, it will be:

For a school sponsorship, your annual payment will be £384 / US$540 / HK$3,840 / SG$660.
For a higher education sponsorship, your annual payment will be £564 / US$720 / HK$5,400 / SG$960.

Let us know here.

Let us know your decision

Would you like to give us your approval to this adjustment? Or are you unable to increase the amount of your sponsorship? You can continue your sponsorship at the current amount. Please indicate your choice by clicking here.

Click here to give your choice

Inflation in Southeast Asia

As in Europe, prices have risen in Southeast Asia over the past eight years. This increase is more significant for basic necessities (rice, oil, water, electricity, etc.), directly impacting the most modest households.

In Vietnam, the price of rice has risen by almost 45% in eight years. This increase was as high as 18% in a single year (between 2023 and 2024), mainly due to severe shortages in India.
Laos is the country hardest hit by inflation: prices rose by 23% in 2022, 31% in 2023 and 25% in 2024.
In Myanmar, due to the civil war, food prices have risen by 33% in the last 10 months. Inflation is sometimes much higher in areas directly affected by the fighting.
In the Philippines, where inflation has been fairly well controlled, the consumer price index rose by 3.5% per year between 2017 and 2024. Unfortunately, it is everyday consumer goods that have seen the biggest increases.

(Sources: INSEE, France-inflation, General Customs Department, National Statistics Office, Philippine Statistics Authority, Numbeo.com)

Reducing costs

As sponsors, we all want to keep the charity’s operating and communication costs as low as possible.

For many years, Children of the Mekong’s charitable expenditure (i.e. the proportion of donations used for our education programmes in Asia) has fluctuated between 83 and 86%.

Our charity was awarded the IDEAS label in 2011 and has been renewed ever since (2015, 2019 and 2024), guaranteeing the proper use of funds, financial transparency and the effectiveness of our work.

However, we want to continue our efforts to keep costs down by:

Seeking partners for donations in kind

Companies help us to spend less. For example, this year, JC Decaux and VYP offered us a poster campaign, the Michelin Foundation donated tuk-tuks and school buses, and AVB, Harfang, Dimsi, Amossys and Axa enabled us to renew our IT equipment. However, we are still looking for help with plane and train tickets and a minivan.

By limiting postal costs

Paper mailings are expensive. We have chosen to send as much communication as possible by email: news and videos of your sponsored child, country information, etc. If you are not receiving our emails, please remember to send us your email address!