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. 

• 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 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 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.                                                                              

• 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:

• Stickers
• Cheap jewelry
• Candy, snacks
• Color book and crayons
• Colorful pen
• Vitamins
• T-shirt, underwear
• Baseball Cap
• Photos (they love photos of their sponsor and anything that gives them a glimpse of America)

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