Correspondence Tips
For your child, sponsorship is already an invaluable help. So, there is no need to feel guilty about not writing to your sponsored child. However, if you can take a few minutes per year to remind them that you are thinking of them, know that it will make a difference!
We know that it is not always easy to start writing, so here are 6 tips and tricks from us, to make your exchanges simpler:
1. The first step is sometimes the hardest: writing your first letter is not the simplest task…like your sponsored child, some sponsors find themselves with the daunting prospect of a blank page. Make it simple! Introduce yourself in a few words and if possible, send a picture of yourself.
2. Send a postcard: the sponsored children’s houses often have little to no decoration. The contents of your letter will be limited but the photograph will show your child an area or a monument and open your child’s eyes to the world!
3. Make it simple! Ask about everyday subjects to get to know them better: food, seasons, holidays, travel…etc
4. Never miss a thing! Add your sponsored child’s details to your phone or phonebook so you do not have to look for it when the motivation to write them hits!
5. Sponsor as a family: Involve your children and/or grandchildren participate in the correspondence.
6. Words more than gifts: Please do not send money or gifts to your sponsored child. The risk is that the letter will never arrive, or that the family will have to pay high customs clearance rates on their end. If you would like to send them something, opt instead for some stickers, a T-shirt or some other flat object.
For more information on exceptional circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@childrenofthemekong.org
Here is a video to hopefully inspire you to write to your sponsored children. It depicts the joy of sponsored children when writing and receiving letters.
Happy writing!
Discover other ways to bond with your sponsored child.
EXAMPLE OF A LETTER FROM A SPONSOR
Dear Cecilia,
Thank you so much for your letter! It made me very happy. My cat, Isis, and I really appreciated it! I am glad I know you. Like you probably already know, I am 24 years old and I live in France; and I have just completed a business school last year. This year I am starting my own tourism business in Asia. Here is my family: Matthew, my cat Isis and me. I’m sending you a picture of me as a child, one of my brother and I when I graduated and one of my brother with our mother.
My passions are horse riding, travelling and photography (I love photographs and hope that you enjoyed the ones I sent you during my travels!). I had the chance to travel to Vietnam and Mongolia… and I hope to visit you in Myanmar soon !
Please accept my apologies for taking so long to get back to you.
I have some questions for you:
What do you like to do?
What are you learning at school?
What is your favourite subject at school?
Would you like to know anything about me?
My dearest Cecilia, I wish you all the happiness and cannot wait to hear back from you! I’m sending you all my love!
Your sponsor,
Manon.
Convinced by our child sponsorship programmes?
You can also introduce sponsorship to your children and/or grandchildren! It is a great way to introduce them to solidarity and to show them how lucky they are to access education.
The Letter Route
For each country, the route taken by the mail is different! During their journey, all our letters are translated by volunteers. It’s worth noting that this means you can correspond in French or in English when writing to the Philippines or Myanmar. Read below for more details on the incredible postal journey:
Can I email my sponsored child ?
We have been asked this question so many times! Children of the Mekong offers a simple service of sending emails – which will be translated and printed for your sponsored child. Interested? Read below:
Learn more about our child sponsorship programmes
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