Child Sponsorship
Please Note:
We are not presently recruiting sponsors, as every child within our current programs is presently sponsored.
Thank you for your interest in OSI child sponsorship!
The idea behind child sponsorship is that, since one sponsor is matched with one child, even the resulting custodial care feels special to the child,
-individualized, not institutional. This sense of
individuality for the child is a unique part of OSI's mission.
Also unique is that 100% of the sponsor’s funds are focused on the
needs of their sponsored child, so the sponsor’s relationship is with the child, and not with an organization.
Sponsorship Funding
Sponsorship funding is US $25-$50 per month, per child, depending on the child's age, location, situation, and needs.
Sponsors are able to track the usage of their funds through their own personal page on the OSI web site (see below).
We are very careful to serve each child on an individual basis, to suit their specific needs and even tastes, and all care is
provided in the name of the child's sponsor so that the child understands, most importantly, that somebody is caring for them
individually. While every child’s needs are unique, in general funds are focused on nutrition; health/hygiene; educational
needs including school supplies, uniforms/shoes, classes/tutoring; clothing; extra-curricular activities, educational events,
excursions; and individual gifts for birthdays and special events.
Sponsor-Child Communication
Depending on the child's age and communicative ability, OSI Sponsors and children are able to communicate with each other at will,
via email, through the OSI liaison at the program site. The children's letters are translated by the liaison and emailed to
the sponsor. Sponsors are able to write to their child in a like manner, via email through the site liaison.
Liaison Communication - OSI site liaisons are wonderful, local individuals, dedicated to the local OSI site and children, and are thus intimately familiar with
each child. Sponsors are free to communicate with their OSI liaison at will, and the liaison likewise will share any information
about the sponsored child that might be of interest.
Sponsor-Child Matching
OSI does not allow prospective sponsors to simply pick and choose among the children in need, for the same reason that the child
does not choose their sponsor (the child is in fact extremely pleased with whomever their sponsor might be! -a wonderful virtue).
However, we do believe that sponsors can contribute most to a child with whom they can best relate. As part of the
sign-up process, we encourage prospective sponsors to comment on any factors that might be useful for us to consider in the
matching process (for example, a young lady may feel she can best serve as a big-sister figure to a young girl; or a parent
may wish to involve their own child by sponsoring a child of the same age). This is for the child's benefit, to be matched
with a sponsor who can best relate to them. For their part, the sponsor's interest should be in helping any child who is in
need of their care and attention. We never expect our children to feel "fortunate" to have an OSI sponsor; rather,
these children are unfortunate to have the need for such. Sponsorship is certainly magnanimous. But for their part the
children inherently deserve what sponsorship provides.
Personal Sponsor Web Pages
Each OSI sponsor is provided with their own password-accessible page on the OSI web site. The sponsor's page serves as an
individualized reference, containing information on their sponsored child and the environment and community in which the child
lives, a regularly-updated Financial Record of the sponsor's deposits and expenditures on their child, and other useful information.
Frequently-Asked Questions
Also accessible from the sponsor's personal pages is the
OSI Child Sponsorship FAQ Page.
Sign-Up to Sponsor an OSI Child
We are not presently recruiting sponsors, as every child within our current programs is presently sponsored.
Thank you for your interest in OSI child sponsorship!
