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How long should my sponsorship last?
£30 is sponsorship for 1 year. You may discontinue your sponsorship at any time.
Please understand that a sponsored child's circumstances may change, too. For example, sometimes families move beyond the village and children have to leave sponsorship.
We will inform you as quickly as possible if any such circumstance affects the Children you sponsor.
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May I send gifts to the Children?
Yes, but in an appropriate way. Ethiopia is a very poor country, and it would be better to send money to Abba Fisseha who would then purchase the gift on your behalf. This helps the economy of the country and also enables Father to buy the children simple things that the children can enjoy. Games with batteries, heavy items that cost a lot to send and western style toys are not always appropriate in a simple village. As a guideline, we ask that sponsors keep these contributions between £5 and £15.
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How much does it cost to sponsor a child?
It costs £30 a year. It's a pretty big commitment but not too big when you think about the incredible difference you can make in their lives. Please make the check out to “Scared Heart Parish” Send to:
Scared Heart Parish
Bula Buta Project
25 Between Streets,
Cobham, KT111AA England
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How can I communicate with the children?
This village has no electricity, no phones, no public transportation. We will provide you with the ability to correspond to your child by letter through the Church. The children do not speak English and cannot read. Until they are further educated, the priests would have to read all correspondence to the children.
You can send a photograph and short letter of introduction of your family to the children. A connection to someone outside their world can be a stepping stone to moving out of the poverty in which they live. They would put it up on the bulletin board in the school.
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What is a Sponsor?
· A sponsor is someone like you who has made the decision to personally invest in the life of these children in need. As a sponsor, you enable children to participate in an education program. Education offers life-changing benefits.
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What other opportunities will I have to learn about the child I'm helping?
We will be offering the opportunity to visit the School and children you sponsor on a Sponsor Tour. We expect to have someone from Scared Heart visit there every year. It's an unforgettable experience. You can find out more about sponsor tours by talking to Shelagh or Peter Klein.
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If I move to another church or country, what happens to the child I'm helping? You can continue to support the child or let us know and we will find a new sponsor. You can pay in advance until your child graduates. We will work with you in every way possible.
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If I must discontinue my sponsorship, what happens to the children I'm helping?
If you need to discontinue your support, we will immediately look for a new sponsor and money allowing continue the child's support without interruption.
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Will I be the only person sponsoring the children?
No. Because of the large number of kids your money will be used to support multiple kids until we find sponsors for all 400 kids. When opening a school it is not possible to judge who gets the chance to go to school and who doesn’t. So until we have enough funding we will be pooling the money so everyone can attend, not just those who would benefit from the luck of the draw.
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How did this project begin and what is its current status?
Two Scared Heart parishioners visited numerous projects throughout Ethiopia that needed help. A Capuchin priest named Father Fisseha took our parishioners to a village that had a catholic church and school 49 years ago, the Italian priest, who had been serving there, died and everything stopped. Farther Fisseha asked for help for these kids because unless they are educated they will never escape the poverty cycle. He is planning on building a new church and continuing the Catholic tradition in this area.
In the words of Bob Geldof "It was something unimaginable that we had allowed to happen, doing nothing would mean you were complicit in murder".
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How do we insure that support actually benefits the children I sponsor?
We are working through the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Ethiopia.
We will also conduct audits regularly to make sure funds are properly received, tracked and managed.
But it's not enough to insure that funds are reaching your children and being spent on planned activities. Like you, we want to be sure that real development is taking place in the life of every child. As a parish we will work hard to monitor and evaluate the long-term impact — right down to the individual child. Any time we see an irregularity, we take immediate and appropriate action.
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Are my contributions, including my sponsorship support and gifts, tax-deductible?
YES. If you would like a US$ tax deduction please make the check out to Educate Ethiopia. It is a charity in the USA that has a 501 status so your donations are deductible. All UK checks should be made out to Sacred Heart so we can get the gift aid.
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What percentage of expenditures are spent on program activities?
100%. Because we the parishioners will be doing the work. In saying this we need volunteers to help. If you interested in giving time or money, please contact Shelagh Klein 01932 254 553 or pklein@educateethiopia.com
Can I just give money and not sponsor a child?
Yes, Please contact us, send a check and we’ll let you know how it will be used. Every little bit helps.
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