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Frequently asked questions

If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact us.

The ChildFund donation is essential for ChildFund Australia as it covers international administration, staffing and management costs of our programs, without comprising the amount of money sent overseas to communities and children.

This donation is also used to invest in fundraising to ensure that ChildFund continues to increase its supporter numbers in Australia, and expand the number of children and communities which can be assisted.

All donations over $2 are tax deductible and GST-free. You will receive an annual contribution summary each July for taxation purposes.

ChildFund development programs respond to the stated needs of children and their communities. The sponsorship program enables local agencies and community groups to select the children and families most in need of assistance.

ChildFund national offices, staffed with highly qualified local people, periodically evaluate the programs, double check family circumstances and offer guidance and training to local volunteers in the communities. The emphasis is on providing self-help and opportunities to communities, while also nurturing the health and nutrition of children, as well as improving the skills that will equip them for happy and productive adult lives.

Sponsorship contributions are combined to help meet the individual and group needs of all children in the program. Combining sponsorship funds means large scale projects can be undertaken by ChildFund which will benefit your sponsored child, as well as other children in the community. These include the installation of water systems, comprehensive immunisation programs, nutrition and livelihood initiatives, the construction of school facilities and equipping healthcare centres.

Sponsorship contributions help provide food, healthcare, safe drinking water, education and income generation skills to a child, family and their community. In addition, the sponsored child benefits from being able to develop a personal relationship with a distant friend who genuinely cares.

It is not possible to meet the needs of a sponsored child and their community without sponsoring monthly. However, you can share the sponsorship with a friend or set up a group sponsorship.

Sponsorship contributions over $2 are tax-deductible and GST free. You will receive an annual contribution summary each July for taxation purposes. Gifts - for birthdays, Christmas etc - are not tax-deductible.

The national office of your child's program will send you an annual progress report and an update on the program's activities. These will provide you with detailed information about your sponsored child's development, living circumstances and educational progress.

Your personal correspondence will also give you an idea of your sponsored child's hobbies, interests, schoolwork and dreams for the future.

If you would like additional information about your sponsored child, please write to the relevant national office and they will answer your questions in as much detail as possible. Contact details for the national office are listed in your Child Information Folder.

For more specific information about ChildFund services in your child's community, please refer to the Child Information Folder or Program Description Sheet included in your Sponsorship Package.

Writing letters not only strengthens your relationship with your sponsored child and their family, but also keeps you in closer touch with their progress.

You should allow 16-20 weeks, occasionally longer, for a complete exchange of letters. This allows for translation and transportation to and from the project, which may be in an extremely remote area.

Please be patient and remember your child may never have written or received a letter before.

ChildFund Australia can arrange for you to meet your sponsored child and family in their village. Please contact Sponsor Relations two months ahead of your departure date so arrangements can be made and a police check conducted.

A national office representative will accompany you during your visit. You will be required to pay any expenses incurred by yourself, your sponsored child and the national office representative as part of the visit.

Most children will be sponsored until they are 18 years old, however many continue with secondary school or tertiary studies and will remain on the program until they have completed their education and are able to support themselves.

ChildFund Australia seeks to help families and communities become self-reliant by developing the ability to provide for their own children. Often children and entire communities 'graduate' from a program - this program represents tremendous progress for the child and family, as it means they have taken control of their own future.

Children may also leave the program at any time during sponsorship if their family moves to improve their economic situation; the child changes school or the family situation improves so significantly they no longer require help. If your sponsored child leaves the ChildFund program, we will notify you as soon as possible.

We understand financial circumstances change for sponsors as well, so we ask sponsors to contact us immediately if they cannot continue their support.

Many ChildFund Australia sponsors are community groups, businesses, organisations and schools.

However, to avoid confusion, we recommend there be a designated contact person, particularly when communicating with your sponsored child. When writing letters we recommend one person write all letters to avoid confusing the child and to keep translation costs down.

ChildFund Australia is a member of ChildFund Alliance - a global network of 12 organisations which assists eight million children in over 50 countries.

Due to the large number of developing countries in need of assistance, each member of the ChildFund network carries out fundraising activities for a different set of countries, so that globally we can support as many children in as many regions as possible.

As such, Australians can only sponsor children in those countries listed on our website.

In addition there are some countries where, due to an instable political environment or recent natural disaster, ChildFund is not able to implement a child sponsorship scheme. Instead, we offer assistance through other methods, such as child centred spaces in IDP camps, livelihood and micro-finance initiatives, or emergency aid.