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.

 

When you sponsor 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 children and young people and their everyday life in one of our programmes.

After registering for a sponsorship you will receive a welcome package containing a description and a picture of the sponsored child, young person 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.
 

You are welcome to send letters to your sponsored child or young person. Personal letters from sponsors are translated in the national office and forwarded to the children and young people. 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.

It is possible to visit a village. However, the privacy of all the children in our care and their right to a loving and stable upbringing will always remain our priority. When planning to visit an SOS Children's Village please understand that SOS Children's Village families and facilities must keep to their daily routines. The visit should therefore not last any longer than a maximum of one day a year. You should also involve the other children in the family in your visit so that they do not feel as though they are being relegated to the background. 

To ensure the visit is a success, the national office must be informed of the visit at least four weeks in advance. Only then can a co-worker be available to show the sponsor around the SOS Children's Village and to translate, if necessary. You can receive information about the exact address and position of the SOS Children's Village from the national office. To make sure that the visit is a good experience for all parties you will be required to read through and sign our Guide for Visitors to National Associations – this will be sent to you prior to your visit.

Please get in touch with the SOS Children’s Villages in your country if you would like more information about arranging a visit to an SOS Children’s Village. If you have signed up for a sponsorship at the International Office, please send your request to: donor.services@sos-kd.org

Taking on a sponsorship is a voluntary commitment and not a binding contract. Our aim is to build lasting relationships with our sponsors and guarantee financial support for the children and young people in our programmes as well as the supporting facilities. The children and young people in our care leave the international sponsorship programme when they move from the programme or at the latest when they turn 23 years old.

Your sponsorship contribution goes towards covering the living costs of the children and young people in one programme location. 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 programme locations have supporting facilities such as kindergartens, schools, social centres and medical centres. Children and young people living with their biological families in the surrounding communities may then also benefit from schools and health services.

In addition, your contributions may go to helping support a family strengthening programme. As part of these programmes, 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 10% 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.