If you have chosen to sponsor a child, thank you! You have taken a step that will change the life of the child you sponsor – and likely your own life, too. The best way to take advantage of the life-changing experience of sponsoring a child is by getting to know him/her. There are several ways you can do this.
The first is to email our Uganda office at sponsorship@cflim.org. One of our Ugandan missionaries will print off your message and any attachments you might send (maybe a drawing your child created for his/her new friend) and deliver it to your sponsored child. Your child can then respond to you by giving a letter back to one of our missionaries, who will scan it and email it back to you.
Another option might be to connect with your child directly. Phones with internet capability are very common in much of Africa and because talk time and download capability on these phones are pre-paid/pay-as-you-go, even those with very few resources are able to obtain one. Therefore, you may find that your child or one of his/her family member is on social media or has an email address. At the bottom of this page are a few articles that might help you understand cell phones in Africa, should you desire more information.
While many organizations do not allow sponsors to connect with their child directly, we have chosen to allow our sponsors to connect with their child directly if the child has access to the internet. We chose this for a couple of reasons: 1) we feel that ease of communication facilitates a bond with your child that might not otherwise develop, 2) there is no way for us to police the internet and prevent your child from contacting you or you from contacting them, and 3) we think having a window into your child’s world could help you to understand the challenges they face and facilitate understanding between cultures.
That being said, please exercise caution and sensitivity in sharing personal information with your child. Their everyday life likely looks much different than yours, although you will find you have much in common as well. Consider the words below (from this song):
I laugh, I love, I hope, I try
I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry
And I know you do the same things, too
So we’re really not that different, me and you
Please do not attempt to send money to Uganda directly. If you feel you have identified a need your sponsored child has that is not being met, please let us know so we can investigate and ensure their well-being. On the flip side, know that we do our best to vet the children to determine those most in need, but if you see or hear something from your child that concerns you, please reach out to us. Our Ugandan missionaries can further evaluate the situation to assure we are using sponsorship dollars for the neediest children.
Again, thank you for your commitment to change the life of a child!