Sponsorship FAQ
How Much of My Sponsorship Money Goes Toward the Care of the Child I Sponsor?
We send 100% of sponsorship donations to the schools and caretakers overseas to benefit the children. Dream On administrative costs are taken from unrestricted funds.
Are Donations Pooled?
Prevention Sponsorship
Your donation covers all costs associated with enrollment in school annually for the child you have chosen to sponsor. You are the only sponsor for that child.
Rescue Sponsorship
Yes, funds are pooled due to the following reasons:
Victims of human trafficking cannot return to their communities and must receive holistic rehabilitative care tailored to their specific needs. The costs associated with their care are varied and can be cost prohibitive for many people who would like to contribute to such an endeavor, but cannot afford to underwrite the entire annual cost of caring for a child. Many children will have several sponsors underwriting his or her care –– a family of sponsors ensuring one child will succeed in life.
Especially in a situation where children are living together, pooling funds ensures that all children can be cared for rather than just the few who have received full sponsorship. For instance, if we have five children who are fully sponsored but the others are not, we will not withhold food and education from those who are not fully sponsored. We will use the sponsorship funds, along with donations to the Dream On Freedom Fund, to ensure that all children receive equal care.
Pooling funds enables Dream On to continue to meet the needs of children in our care regardless of whether or not a sponsor is late on a support payment.
If you prefer to fully sponsor one child per year, please contact sponsorship@dreamon.org to discuss the children available for sponsorship and his or her plan of care.
Is It Possible That My Child May Leave The Sponsorship Program?
Yes. The risk is higher with Rescue Sponsorship, but the following are examples of why a child may leave either our Prevention or Rescue Sponsorship program:
Prevention Sponsorship
Often times, children live with an extended relative like and aunt or grandmother. Sometimes, the relative is no longer able to care for the child in spite of the financial burden having been lifted from the sponsor. The child may be sent to reside with a relative who lives in another region of the country where we do not have a program. Other times, if the family farm is not yielding results, they may choose to relocate to their ancestral village.
Rescue Sponsorship
Victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse have been living in extremely unstable and abusive environments. Our staff and the members of the Department of Social Welfare do their best to provide guidance and counseling to the children. However, unless we are given legal guardianship, Dream On cannot force a child to stay. Occasionally, a teenager will choose to leave the program.
In the event a child leaves our program, we will connect the sponsor with another child in need of the same loving care and support to succeed in life.
Can I Write to the Child I Sponsor?
Whether or not a child can receive letters varies depending on the country and circumstances.
Ghana (Children from GMA)
Yes, you may write to the child you sponsor. We ask that you send correspondence via email to sponsorship@dreamon.org. Your letter and any accompanying photographs will be printed by our coordinator in Ghana and delivered to the child you sponsor. In most cases, the children will write back, or send a drawing if they do not yet know how to write. An annual update about your child will be sent to you via email.
Rescue Sponsorship
In some cases you will be able to write letters to the children you sponsor. If this is important to you, please indicate in the note section when you make your donation that you would prefer to be matched with a child who will be able to receive your letters.
Can I Send Gifts to the Child I Sponsor?
We feel that it is important for every child to feel loved. As such, sending gifts will depend up the child’s living situation. If the child you sponsor lives at a boarding school, then sending a personal gift would be possible. However, if your child lives in a home with other children then sending a gift for one child might make those who are not sponsored feel bad. In those situations, we suggest sending gifts that would benefit the household. In most cases, we would suggest sending funds through our office so that we can locally purchase needed items for the home, such as rice, beans, shoes, books, or even a national insurance card for every member of the family. A photograph of the family with their gift will then be sent to the sponsor.
Can I Share a Photograph of My Sponsored Child on Social Media or Any Other Public Forum?
Photographs that are on the Dream On website may be shared in a public forum. Thus, photographs of children who are on the Prevention Sponsorship program may be shared publicly. However, photos of children rescued from slavery or gender-based violence — if shared with you privately — may not be shared. Many of the children rescued from human trafficking and gender-based violence are witnesses in legal cases. To protect them from potential danger and respect their privacy, we are unable to share their photos publicly. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.