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We don't use children's photos because we are very serious about protecting their safety and privacy. Once you have sponsored a child, you will receive a picture of them via email.
The survival, development and future of any child depends on their community. That’s why your sponsorship improves life for both your child and their whole community.
“Sponsorship pulled me from nowhere to being able to have a good life in Uganda. It was like a bridge – if that bridge had not been there I would not have been able to get to the other side”
While social messaging sites can be a great way to keep in touch with your friends and family, they are not always safe environments in which to communicate. For children in particular, the dangers are heightened, as ChildFund is unable to monitor online communications. Social media can leave children vulnerable to the following scenarios:
Ultimately, there are few Australian parents who would allow their own child to have online communication with an adult whose identity they are unable to verify. Ensuring the safety and protection of all children living in the communities where we work is of paramount importance to ChildFund, and unfortunately social media sites pose too many risks to children, which we feel negate the benefit of using them for child-sponsor communications.
Risk for sponsors – Using social networking sites can also leave our supporters vulnerable to criminal or unlawful activities by people acting under an alias. For example, an individual who knows your sponsored child may create a false name using that child’s identity, and attempt to defraud or threaten you as the sponsor of that child.
How to contact your child – To ensure the continued safety of communications between sponsored children and ChildFund supporters, we ask everyone to ensure that their correspondence is sent via the relevant ChildFund country office without exception. This ensures that ChildFund can monitor any communications to ensure that both the sponsor and sponsored child are protected from inappropriate content, abuse and any fraudulent activities.
ChildFund Australia policy – As an organisation, it is impossible for us to guarantee the safety of both parties on social networking sites. As such, ChildFund will take any unauthorised contact very seriously. Where a sponsor initiates any contact with their sponsored child within an online environment, they will be asked to cease this form of communication, and reminded that correspondence must go via our country offices. In cases where the unauthorised communication continues, ChildFund may have to resort to cancelling the sponsorship. In instances where a child or their family initiates contact, we will also remind them of correct communication arrangements, and potentially remove the child/family from enrolment if they ignore this request. We hope that you understand our concerns, and support our efforts to keep communications for both parties safe, secure and unexposed to the dangers of outside interference by unknown persons. We are sure you will understand that ChildFund has to act on any matters that might put either sponsors or sponsored children in danger.
ChildFund Australia takes its obligations to keep children safe from harm very seriously, and our sponsors play an important role in this. You can help us safeguard both your sponsored child and yourself in several ways:
You can read our full Safeguarding Children policy here.
You will meet your sponsored child and their family at a local meeting spot, such as a school, local eatery or community hall. For child protection reasons, supporters are not able to visit the homes of their sponsored children.
Yes, ChildFund staff will pick you up from your hotel (and drop you home at the end of the day) on the day of your visit and will accompany you for the whole day. Our local staff will act as your interpreter for the visit and are a wonderful source of information, so don’t forget to ask them lots of questions!
You can visit your sponsored child on any week day – weekend visits are not permitted. Visits are for one day but please do allow at least three days in total (not including your arrival and departure dates). Most of the communities we work with are in remote areas so you will need to allow enough time for travelling to and from the project area. National holidays can also affect visit dates.
If you have any questions about child sponsorship, our Supporter Relations Team is more than happy to help! Please call us on 1800 023 600 or email webenquiries@childfund.org.au.
