A child or village sponsorship is a recurring financial donation made by an individual, organisation or company, in which the funds are set aside for the specific purpose of supporting the children and young people in our programmes on a long-term basis.

 

As the sponsor of a child or young person you follow them on their journey through childhood and into an independent life. As a village sponsor you will follow all the children and young people and their everyday life in our programme.

After registering for a sponsorship you will receive a welcome package containing a description and a picture of the sponsored child or village. In addition you will receive updates from our colleagues in the country where you are sponsoring twice a year.

We will also send you our bi-annual online magazine, “SOS Impressions,” with stories about our work around the world.
 

Although you cannot choose a specific child, you are welcome to inform us about any wishes concerning age, gender or country and we will do our best to fulfil your requests.

You are welcome to send letters to your sponsored child or young person. Personal letters from sponsors  are translated in the national office and then forwarded. Some children and young people wish to answer the sponsor and they then receive all the help they need to write a letter. Sponsored children and young people are, however, put under no obligation to reply, and the responsibility of replying to letters is mainly taken on by the co-workers in the national office.

Your sponsorship contribution goes towards covering the living costs of the children and young people in our programmes. Your support helps us meet their daily needs, and guarantees that they receive quality medical care and education.

When quality schools and medical centres are not available in the surrounding community, we build them. As such, many SOS Children's Villages have supporting facilities such as kindergartens, schools, social centres and medical centres. Children living with their biological families in the surrounding communities may then also benefit from these schools and health services.

In addition, your contributions may go to helping support a family strengthening programme. We work directly with families who are at risk of breaking down to ensure that they have the support they need to provide their children with these stong bonds. 

We would like to inform our sponsors and donors that 20% of your donation or sponsorship contribution goes towards administrative costs.

Every person's right to privacy and the need to observe data protection laws are paramount. Informed consent for voluntary participation is generally obtained from each person that takes part in any kind of content production in collaboration with SOS Children's Villages. Underage children and young people who are unable to consent for themselves need the permission of their guardians. Voluntary participation means participants are free from coercion (an overt threat of harm) or undue influence (such as excessive compensation or incentives to participate). Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Please note that you are a key stakeholder in ensuring that sensitive information about the sponsored child or young person is not shared with third parties outside your immediate family or circle of friends. We kindly ask you not to publish pictures or information about your sponsored child, young person or family on social media or any other oublicly accessible platform.