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OSI Mission - OSI Program Sites

The OSI Mission

Orphan Sponsorship International was founded in 1999 by Nick Hindman, after a trip to Russia where he worked with orphans in a summer camp.  Providing essential clothing and shoes to the kids, he was struck by the children's reaction, -not to the physical gift, but to the mere fact that somebody cared.  From this the idea of a sponsorship program was born, as a means to provide for the child's physical needs, while also providing for their emotional need for a sense of individuality through the relationship that they develop with their sponsor.

We've grown substantially since our first orphanage site in Russia, but are organized to maintain a very personal and informal approach to child sponsorship.  OSI is divided into individual program sites, each site with its own dedicated OSI "liaison" who is responsible for being the full-time connection between the site children and their sponsors.  Sponsors pay nothing towards site costs, as ALL child sponsor funds are applied to the child's needs.  The operation of our sites themselves is funded by separate, individual "Site Sponsors."  Finally, OSI also accommodates donors to serve the larger, orphanage-wide and program-wide needs that cannot be served via individual child sponsorship.

Child Sponsorship - OSI Child sponsorship provides a channel for individuals to be personally involved in the welfare of a needy child.  Sponsors communicate at will via email with their dedicated OSI site liaison and with their sponsored child.  100% of the sponsor’s funds are utilized directly and exclusively towards the welfare of the individual sponsored child!  For more information please see the Child Sponsorship page.

Program Site Sponsorship - OSI's commitment to focusing 100% of sponsors' funds on the children provides a great challenge to us administratively, and we are dependent on our Program Site Sponsors to make it work, as well as to expand our efforts further.  For more information, please see the Program Sponsorship page.

Donations - Donations allow us to help orphans and orphanages in capacities that individual child-sponsors cannot.  Donations allow us to serve orphanage-wide needs, such as providing better living facilities, for all of the children collectively.  But in our "liaison" capacity, we don't wish simply to obtain funds, but invite donors themselves to be involved in how their funds to be utilized.  For more information,please see the Other Ways to Help page.


OSI Program Sites

OSI-Sri Lanka

In developing Sri Lanka, struggling after thirty years of civil war, OSI strives to assist orphaned and parentless children, victims of poverty.


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Nayabedde - OSI's newest prospective site, where we hope to assist needy children living in an impoverished Tamil community on the Nayabedde tea plantation in the Sri Lanka highlands.  Many of these children will be assisted in their family homes, with the most dire children being housed in our own small "children's home" in the community.  Our aim is to keep these children in school, to take care of their current welfare, and to provide better prospects for their futures, to end the cycle of poverty and neglect in their isolated community.


Nayabedde children and grandmother


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Pamunugama - The orphanage in Pamunugama village, about 30km north of Colombo, is home to 50 orphaned and destitute girls, aged 6-18.  OSI sponsorship has provided for significant improvement in the physical and emotional welfare of these children, and OSI projects have significantly impacted the facilities and environment of the home.


Anita (OSI-Pamunugama Liaison) and kids


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Wattegama - The orphanage in Wattegama village, about 10km from the interior hill country capital of Kandy, is home to 40 orphaned and destitute girls, aged 6-18.  OSI projects have significantly impacted the facilities and environment of the home, and OSI sponsorship continues to assist those children residing in the home part-time, as well as providing much assistance, housing, and educational/job opportunities for those transitioning out of the home.


OSI-Wattegama Children

OSI-Russia

OSI-Russia is based in Kemerovo Region in Siberia, working with multiple children's homes in Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk.


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Kemerovo - Our Kemerovo program is focused on one of the community's large orphanages, though we assist other orphans in the city as well.  In addition, we provide special sponsorships to allow orphans to live in local foster families, and we assist older children as they leave the homes and enter society.


Olga (OSI-Kemerovo Liaison) and kids

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Novokuznetsk - In the city of Novokuznetsk, in Kemerovo Region, OSI provides sponsorship for children from numerous local orphanages, as well as a large foster home.  In addition, OSI funds a special "graduate home" to house and assist older children who are transitioning into independent living.


Lena (OSI-Novokuznetsk Liaison) and kids

OSI-Bulgaria

OSI-Bulgaria is based in the town of Dupnitza, in the Kyustendil Region, 60km south of Sofia.


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Dupnitza - OSI operates a unique program to assist children living in impoverished families in the Roma neighborhoods of Dupnitza, providing sponsorship and individual assistance for the children, and working with their parents to ensure proper guidance and education for the child.  OSI also operates a "Day Center" where such children receive independent living skills and school tutoring, and enjoy regular entertaining events.


Lindsay (OSI-Bulgaria Liaison) and kids

OSI-India

OSI-India is based in the town of Pune, Maharashtra State, about 160km south-east of Mumbai.


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Pune - OSI sponsorship provides for the physical and emotional needs of girls living in impoverished families in a Pune slum.  With a focus on education, OSI sponsorship greatly enhances the future prospects for these children, who otherwise are destined for child labor, early marriage, abuse, and no control over their destinies.  In addition, OSI sponsorship provides for more stability, happiness, and proper care in the present for these children.


OSI-Pune Children

 

 

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