Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Sponsoring a Secondary Student




These young women and men are all in Junior Secondary school. More details on the Zambian school system will come a little later. For now I want to focus on just how it pertains to our sponsorship program. The Junior Secondary grades are considered grade levels 8 and 9. Depending on which age the student started school, a child in Junior Secondary school could be age 13 or above.

This sponsorship program is bringing hope to many families. Most of these families are quite large. If you look at the bios of the children, they usually have a lot of brothers and sisters. Even if they have a small family, it is highly likely that their parents or caretaker are, also, caring for other children in the home. How does this effect the children and their education? It is extremely difficult for parents already living in extreme poverty to pay the school fees, buy the uniforms, etc for so many children!

The good news is that Child Hope is now providing the children with HOPE of a future! They will be able to stay in school, with the help of sponsorship. I can tell you that the children are very aware of what is in store for them. When the staff went out to take pictures and get information, the response was overwhelming and receptive. I am excited for them because I can picture the smile they will have on their face when they get news that they have a sponsor!! These children have never been sponsored before, so I am sure they will be surprised by the letters of support and little things you can stick inside the envelope for them such as stickers, bookmarks (and we have several children whose favorite pastime is reading!), etc.

Now, on with the details of how to sponsor a junior secondary student:

*How much does it cost? $15 a month/ $45 per trimester/ $180 per year- You choose how often you want to pay, it all comes out to $15 a month.

*What do the children receive from the program? A LOT!

Health support which includes anti ring worms, malaria treatment, and several other treatments as needed

School uniform (shirt and trousers for young men and blouse and skirt for young women)

School shoes

School bag

School Socks

Exercise books

Pencil, eraser, and ruler

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Soap

Body towel

Washing detergent

Tissue

Vaseline

And 3 separate term School fees!

*How is sponsorship paid? Paypal is the only payment option at this time. To verify that the child you would like to sponsor has not been taken, send me an e-mail at macandmic@gmail.com Once it is verified that the child is still available, you can click on the subscribe button in the upper left hand side of this blog- That will allow the sponsorship fee to automatically be taken out every month. Or, let me know how much you would like to pay upfront, and I will send you an invoice. Make sure to click on "Sponsor a Secondary Student" if you are sponsoring a child through this program.

*Can I write to my child? Absolutely! The letters can be sent directly to Zambia:


THE NATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR
CHILDHOPE-ZAMBIA
P.O.BOX 39481
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

*How do I know if the child is in junior secondary school? The junior secondary students are on the left hand side of the blog listed as "young woman" and "young man".

*Can the child have more than one sponsor? That is up to you! If you would like to share the child sponsorship with a friend, you would only pay $7.50 per month- or between 3 people- only $5 a month (yearly breakdown when shared between 2 sponsors is $90, and $60 per year when split between 3 people). However, we have to have all of the sponsors signed up at the same time or else there will not be enough funds to provide the child with all of the items and support mentioned above.

*What happens after the 9th grade? You may maintain contact with the student, if you desire to do so. No further support is expected- However, students can always use a mentor!

One last note, you will see that every child has a number. When requesting a child for sponsorship and sending letters, please include the child's full name and child number. Thank you for helping these wonderful children!

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