Maiyian Heritage
Can I post about my sponsored child on social media?
We know many sponsors are excited to share about their sponsored child, and this is great! It's a special relationship in your life that deserves to be celebrated. Child protection and safety is so important. If you choose to share about your sponsored child on social media or elsewhere, please withhold the child's last name, sponsorship, identification number, detailed family information or specifics about where they live. This shows respect for the child's privacy, and helps to keep them safe! For example, if your sponsored child's name was "Fatime Jallow" and she was from Kajiado, Kenya, you could mention "Fatime" from Kenya, but not the more specific information. Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
How much does my sponsorship cost?
About a dollar a day. Sponsoring a child overseas costs $39/month, or $468/year.
What is the difference between sponsorship funds and special gifts sent directly to my sponsored child?
Sponsorship funds support local partner organizations with which children are enrolled and ensure that the assistance you provide is long-lasting and most appropriate to local needs. This may be helping to build or refurbish a school, training teachers or providing supplies that enable children to attend school. Maiyian may support a community clinic where children receive medical services or the training of community health workers. In consultation with the children and families of the community, local partner organizations determine which needs are most dire and use the sponsorship donations for that area accordingly.
Special gifts are additional amounts you may choose to send which are given directly to your sponsored child and his or her family. This is money for them to use based on what is best for improving their situation whether for personal items, household furniture or farm equipment. We would love for you to include a $3.50 to help cover delivery, processing, added security and foreign currency fees. All gifts will be acknowledged and confirmed with the amount your sponsored child received.
What happens if my child leaves Maiyian's Programs?
Children leave our programs for a variety of reasons, and many explanations are related to natural life changes. When your child leaves our programs, Maiyian will propose another child, of similar background, for you to sponsor. If you'd prefer to select a child yourself, please contact Sponsor Care, at info@maiyian.org. We hope that you'll continue your generous support of children living in poverty, either through sponsorship or through other giving opportunities.
Can I visit?
Yes, please do! You're always welcome to come to your child's community to see firsthand how much your generosity has accomplished. Children, their families and the entire community love to meet sponsors. Maiyian staff will help you plan your trip and accompany you to your child's community.
To begin planning your visit, contact Sponsor Care, at info@maiyian.org, at least four months in advance of your visit. We'll need to know the number of visitors who are, or will be, 18 years of age or older at the time of your visit. Maiyian's Child Protection Policy requires all adult visitors to complete and return three forms before the visit can be approved.
We'll send you the necessary forms. Once we receive your completed forms, we'll contact the country office regarding your plans. We want your visit to your sponsored child to be a wonderful and joyous experience. Be prepared for quite a celebration when you arrive!
What are handling fee preferences?
For special occasion gifts you send your sponsored child for birthdays, Christmas or other special events, we ask you to add $3.50 to the gift total to cover the costs of processing, delivering and accounting for your gifts. There is no additional donation requested for your regular monthly sponsorship contributions.
The handling fee helps defray the cost of sending special occasion gifts, including
If you send multiple gifts within the same calendar month, we ask for the $3.50 handling and delivery donation only once, since monetary gifts are processed monthly and these handling fees are transactional in nature.
Can I send gifts to my sponsored child?
Certainly! Children love to receive special gifts, and you can always enclose small, flat items with your cards and letters. Paper dolls, stickers, coloring or puzzle pages and picture postcards make wonderful gifts. Due to high customs duties and the likelihood of loss, we ask you not to send packages.
You can also recognize birthdays, holidays or other special occasions and accomplishments in your child's life with a special monetary gift, which is not done within your direct correspondence with your child but through Maiyian, to ensure your child receives it safely.
There are two ways to send a gift to your sponsored child:
Ideally gifts for special occasions such as birthdays and holidays are sent at least two months in advance, so there is enough time for processing and delivery to ensure your sponsored child receives your gift in time for his or her special day. The best amounts are between $20 and $50.
Please know that your child will receive 100% of the money that you send. We would love for you to include a $3.50 handling fee to help cover delivery, processing, added security and foreign currency fees.
Monetary gifts are distributed once a month to Maiyian's national offices. Our local staff will ensure your gift is delivered to your sponsored child's family in local currency. All gifts will be acknowledged and confirmed with the amount your sponsored child received.
What's an appropriate amount of money to give to my sponsored child?
The best amounts are between $20 and $50. Please give monetary gifts online, or through your sponsorship statement. We’ll make sure your gift is delivered safely to your sponsored child.
Your sponsored child will receive 100 percent of the gift that you send. Please allow two months for processing and delivery. We would love for you to include a $3.50 to help cover delivery, processing, added security and foreign currency fees.
Can I phone my child or friend him on Facebook?
We ask you not to communicate directly with your child or their family, even in the rare cases where there is cell phone access and English language skills are exceptional. Maiyian's child protection policies prevent direct contact between sponsors and sponsored children. You put your child's participation in our programs, as well as your continued ability to sponsor children, at risk by violating these policies.
Why should I sponsor a child?
For a child living in poverty, the future often looks bleak. Sponsored children tend to achieve a higher level of education, which translates to a better chance at economic security as adults. And it's not only the sponsored child who benefits. In every community where we work, we partner with local organizations to invest in the health and education of all children. Depending on local needs, these partners provide access to safe water, build latrines, construct or improve schools, support government initiatives to immunize children and distribute bed nets to prevent malaria, conduct life-skills and leadership trainings or establish Early Childhood Development programs. When communities work to transform themselves to meet children's needs, they become places where children can thrive and achieve their potential. As a sponsor, you are part of all this. And as you communicate with your child, you have a front-row seat, no matter how far away!
How does correspondence with my child work?
Correspondence with your child is what distinguishes child sponsorship from other forms of aid. Your child will be delighted to hear from you and will cherish your letters. Your words of care and encouragement will make a difference! Please include photos of yourself and your family, because this can strengthen the connection between the two of you.
Writing to your sponsored child can be easy and is always possible through the mail or via your Online Account. Simply visit Manage Account and select My Correspondence to opt-in for eLetters. You can eWrite your child via our website and replies will be delivered to you electronically. Using eLetters can cut down on the time it takes for your messages to arrive to your sponsored child and for his reply to return to you. It can also help save money on postage and processing.
When your child writes to you, whether electronically or via the mail, you'll receive the original letter along with a translation if the child's language is not English. If your sponsored child is too young to write, a project worker or family member will help compose the letters.
When you choose to send letters via the mail, please know that mail delivery in these parts of the world can be slow, and it might take several months for you to receive a response from your child. If you write frequently, letters can cross in the mail. Please be patient and know that your child will write back.
Will I be this child’s only sponsor?
Absolutely. The child you sponsor is yours alone, as long as you continue to contribute. Once you're matched with a child, he or she is no longer visible on our public website.
If you selected a child online, you will also receive an email confirmation that includes a photo and a brief description of this child, normally within 24-48 hours. (The delay is due to the time necessary for processing your first donation.)
How is my sponsorship money spent?
Maiyian pools sponsorship contributions and uses them for community-based programs implemented by local partner organizations. Maiyian has chosen to work through local partners because we believe local ownership of change is fundamental to the social change process. Local partners are responsible for delivering the programs and services that children need at different stages of their lives, and the pooled funds allow them to serve children, families and their communities most effectively. Through these partnerships, Maiyian reaches children directly while also involving parents, teachers, local governments and larger systems in upholding children’s rights to health, nutrition, safety, education and more.
How are these children chosen?
In all the countries Maiyian serves, it works through local organizations. These local partners seek out the most vulnerable children in their communities ― those who are not already receiving assistance from another organization ― and then they try to saturate the area by assisting as many families as possible. To prevent discrimination or preferential treatment, our local partners post eligibility requirements publicly. And they involve the parents in the enrollment process. Parents must consent to their child's active participation in Maiyian's programs. As our local partners conduct area assessments to determine the number of vulnerable families in their communities, they evaluate potential children based on:
Children cannot be discriminated against based on religion, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, language, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age or political conviction.
What tangible benefits does the child receive?
Your donations provide your sponsored child with critically needed services. These vary from community to community, because we work directly with local organizations and parent committees to identify and offer the services that address the most pressing needs of that community. Typically, interventions include family-oriented projects that promote access to health care, safe water, nutrition, education and training programs. You'll learn the specifics of our work in your sponsored child's community through annual progress reports and direct communication from your child. And your child is not the only one to benefit. Maiyian combines donations from all sponsors to benefit children, their families and their communities.
How will I know I’m helping this child?
Your child will write to you ― and we hope you'll write back! Each year, you'll also receive a Child Progress Report from our local partner organization that works directly with your child and his or her family. Every six months, these local partner organizations check in with each enrolled child to make sure he or she is still living in the community and participating in our programs. They also check on the child’s health and education status.
Will I receive a bill or a reminder?
Sponsors will receive a statement of giving based on the donation schedule selected (monthly or quarterly, and whether you are on a recurring automatic giving plan). Other monthly contributors will receive quarterly summaries of giving via email and post. Statements are typically mailed during the first week of the month and are current through the last day of the previous month. Sponsors who contribute to an additional campaign will see those donations reflected on their next sponsorship statements as well.
How long does my sponsorship last?
Your sponsorship of a specific child lasts as long as you maintain your contributions, the child stays in our programs and the child remains in a community served by Maiyian. Most children will graduate from our programs between the ages of 18 and 24, depending on continued program participation and education status. If a child moves away from his local community, marries or no longer participates in any educational or community programs, we may have to prematurely end the child's enrollment for sponsorship. On rare occasions, Maiyian leaves a community due to political or economic problems, or to a lack of appropriate local partners to administer our programs. More frequently, we can "graduate" an entire community as self-sustaining and ready to successfully continue supporting themselves. In these cases, Maiyian offers you a different child to sponsor.
Can I email my child?
Our national and project offices aren't equipped at this time to handle direct email to children. We make electronic correspondence easy, though, through our My Correspondence eLetters tool. Simply log on to your Online Account and select My Correspondence to opt in for electronic communications.
eLetters sent via My Correspondence are printed and delivered to your sponsored child. A copy of your child’s reply and any translation required will be electronically posted in your Online Account and we’ll email you when it’s ready to view.
We know many sponsors re excited to share about their sponsored child, and this is great! It's a special relationship in your life that deserves to be celebrated. Child protection and safety is so important. If you choose to share about your sponsored child on social media or elsewhere, please withhold the child's last name, sponsorship, identification number, detailed family information or specifics about where they live. This shows respect for the child's privacy, and helps to keep them safe! For example, if your sponsored child's name was "Fatime Jallow" and she was from Kajiado, Kenya, you could mention "Fatime" from Kenya, but not the more specific information. Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
What should I do if I see an error in my giving history?
Please contact our Sponsor Care team with any questions! We’re happy to assist. Email us at questions@maiyian.org.
What can I do in my online account?
As a registered user, you can...