We can literally help alter a child’s future by teaching them about Jesus Christ, educating them, making sure they are fed and keeping them healthy.
The Child Sponsorship Program provides necessary aide to extended family members or single parents caring for orphaned children or those identified as vulnerable. In Africa, the definition of “orphan” is any child who has lost one or both of his parents. The vulnerable cases are typically those children who may have both parents, but one is mentally ill or physically handicapped.
Families benefiting from this program are less likely to abandon these children. Once they are abandoned, they live on the streets, end up in an orphanage or are passed from one family member to another. Before submitting a child's name for sponsorship, we conduct a home visit to verify the facts and understand the severity of the situation. A profile is completed, added to the website, and is now eligible for sponsorship.
You may Sponsor A Child Now or scroll down for additional information about the Child Sponsorship Program.
Who are the children?
Families in Burkina Faso come from all over to register their children for the program. Following registration, a home visit is conducted to verify the validity and severity of the situation. At this time, a profile is completed for the child to be sponsored.
What Does It Cost and How Much Goes To The Child?
The cost to sponsor a child is just $25 per month per child and is allocated as follows:
10% State-side Administrative Costs
90% Program funds, wired to Burkina
How will the program funds be allocated?
As mentioned, ten percent of all monthly support and contributions will be allocated to cover state-side administrative costs.
The remaining 90% will be wired to Burkina Faso for the following:
- Food Assistance at a quarterly food distribution. The child and caregiver come to us with a donkey and cart and leave with a bag of grain as well as other supplies as needed – oil or other condiments necessary for cooking, soap, possibly a new sleeping mat or oil lamp for studying, new shoes, clothes, etc. These expenses vary, but will average approximately $40/child/quarter.
- Educational fees and supplies are provided for those who are in school. Those who are not in school will be encouraged to participate in one of our literacy classes or a preschool program.
- Several children, for various reasons, do not attend school. These cases are handled individually. We will talk with them about their skills and interests and help to implement plans for a viable future – i.e. identifying a way for them to learn a new skill such as apprenticing with a tailor or working alongside a mechanic or iron worker.
- Medical Care is provided, thus lives are saved!
- Malaria, the #1 killer in Burkina, is as common as the common cold; and often the easiest and least expensive to treat. We also see AIDS, Typhoid Fever, and Meningitis on a regular basis. We will distribute meds per doctor’s orders and pay for hospitalization as needed.
- In addition, we have provided the means for several surgeries, and transportation to eye, ear and heart specialists in the capital city.
- Miscellaneous care is provided as needed for the welfare of the child. In the past, this has included rebuilding a family’s home; a courtyard wall that had fallen; bike repairs for kids using them as transportation to school.
- Quarterly home visits are conducted and the children are invited to participate in other activities. Local employees are being trained as leaders to conduct these home visits as well as host “Teen Nights” and other social activities.
- As a Christian organization, we look for opportunities to share Christ with these kids in all we do, be it the home visits, the teen nights, etc. A bag of corn can sustain them for a month, but a relationship with Christ will sustain them for eternity!
How Can I Sponsor A Child?
- Scroll through the photos/profiles of children waiting for sponsors .
- Send Lynn an email at Lynn@bfoafrica.org with name, billing/mailing address and the name/ID number of the child you would like to sponsor or specify if you would like us to choose for you
- Once the first monthly payment is made, the child/family will be notified and the program begins
Soon after, you’ll receive the photo and child profile in the mail along with payment information to get you started.
How long am I committed to sponsoring a child?
You may commit to as much time as you are able. If at any time, you find you are no longer able to sponsor a child, simply let us know and we will reassign him/her to a new sponsor. It can take time to find a new sponsor, so we appreciate advance notice if at all possible.
The children will typically be eligible for the program through 18 years of age; but each case will be evaluated individually.
If no payments are received after 2 months, we will attempt to contact you. If, after 3 months, we have not been able to make contact, we will automatically reassign the child so that we can continue to provide care to each sponsored child.
Can I Send A Gift And/Or Letter To My Child?
You are welcome and encouraged to write to your child. We will also encourage the children to write to their sponsors. Many sponsors don’t write because they don’t know what to say; but honestly, the child is more excited about the fact that he received a letter from his sponsor than he is about what you have to say. And, they absolutely love photos of anything from family and pets to a glimpse of America. (One child received a photo of someone taken on a parking lot. He and his friends had a big conversation about the parking lots in America!)
If you’d like to send a gift to your child:
SENDING GIFTS TO YOUR SPONSORED CHILD
Many people ask, and the answer is “yes”, you are welcome to send gifts to your sponsored child. We want to encourage you to develop a personal relationship with your child. However, please understand - your monthly support is already a huge blessing, so we do not want anyone to feel pressured to do more. With your monthly support, we are able to meet their basic needs as well as add special gifts such as new shoes, a new outfit, sometimes a soccer ball, and other special items.
That said, there are 2 ways to send an extra gift to your child.
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You may want to include an additional amount with your monthly support and designate it to purchase a special gift. Once received, our staff in Burkina Faso will purchase a gift and present it to your child. We often invite several children who are to receive gifts to a special party where we have activities planned, have a snack, present the gift and take a photo.
Following are some ideas of gifts we could purchase as well as the average cost (prices vary by season). However not all gifts are appropriate for each child; so if you have something specific in mind, it’s best to send Lynn an email at lynn@bfoafrica.org to discuss. For example, goats are a great gift, but many families do not have the means to raise a goat. Bikes also are a tremendous blessing but only for the older children as children’s bikes are not available.
|
Bike |
$90 |
|
Cow |
$185 |
|
Goat |
$25 |
|
Chicken |
$4 |
|
New Outfit |
$8-12 |
|
Soccer Ball |
$4 |
|
Bucket of Supplies |
$5-20 |
|
100 lb. of Grain |
$35 |
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You may prefer to shop for your child yourself or with your family. If so, we must warn you Shipping Is Very Expensive (approximately $6/pound), so think lightweight. Remember, these children have nothing; so keep it simple and they’ll be thrilled. Suggestions that are a guaranteed hit:
Ship items via Air Mail to Lynn’s address. Packages can take up to 3 months to arrive in Burkina.
LYNN PETERS
Burkina Faso Outreach
B.P. 184, Yako
Burkina Faso, West Africa
