If the cost of sponsorship rises we tell donors. However, existing donors may carry on paying their existing rate unless the difference becomes too great.

100% of sponsorship donations go towards the expenses of the villages where the children live and our projects there (such as support programmes for AIDS orphans still in their own villages). This ensures that SOS can help as many children as possible. Since children live with an SOS mother in families of around 10 children, we do not split budgets down child by child; however, where sponsors give additional gifts to the child for Christmas or birthdays we ensure that this money is used for that specific child (we accept financial donations, which are put into a savings account for that specific child).

Where people pay for sponsorship through payroll giving etc., so that the tax is already reclaimed, we cover the costs of sponsorship from our general funds. Where people pay us directly, and Gift Aid their donation, we can reclaim this tax and the tax is used to pay for the costs of sponsorship for them and others.

We always welcome letters to the children and the children always like getting letters. We can also help with translations, where necessary. However, we do not make children reply to every letter or write a thank you letter for every gift. Some children do so themselves and sometimes they correspond frequently with sponsors, especially if they speak the same language.

We have thought a lot about this, and realise in general that this is the polite thing to do in English society. But our primary concern is the welfare and happiness of the child and we would like the child to feel the love and support they are getting is unconditional. Also a mother with ten children to care for does not always have the chance to sit down with each one and help them write a letter.

It is also possible to visit the village. However, the privacy of all the children in our care and their right to a normal upbringing will always remain our priority.

No. There are privacy issues involved in sending out details of children to potential sponsors. You can tell us what particular type of child you would like to sponsor (boy, girl, approximate age) and you can choose which village around the world you would like them to live in. If you would like to sponsor a child with special needs (we have quite a few children physically impaired by polio or land mines etc.) you can talk to us and we will see which children are available. Also if for some reason you feel the first child you are sent is not suitable, we will try to help.

As with real families children generally are brought up in their mother's faith until they are old enough to make decisions themselves. Many villages have families of different faith living side by side. If a child comes to us of a particular faith we will generally place them with a mother of the same faith. In practice this means we generally bring up children in the prevailing religion of their country where there is one. If you would like to sponsor a Roman Catholic child, a Protestant child or a Hindu child for example, then we have many children available for sponsorship in countries where each is the national religion. Although many of our sponsors and people who work for us are religious and we treat religion very seriously, we do not try to introduce different religions or cultures into a region. In general we respect the local culture in its entirety: there are only a very small number of exceptions to this (we prohibit physical punishment of children even if local culture and law allows it).

More information about child sponsorship

Read some testimonials from child sponsors and find out more about being a sponsor. We also have a sponsor a child microsite.

If you would like to, you can now sponsor online here