Child Sponsorship FAQs
Very few of the children in our sponsorship program are on track for adoption. Most of the children we serve have one or both parents — or extended family — to care for them, but are at risk of separation due to poverty, illness or other hardships. We only seek adoptive families for children who have been relinquished for adoption and cannot be reunited with their family. Sponsorship is not a pathway to adoption, but if you are interested in international adoption, please contact our adoption advisor! We'd love to speak with you.
Every child and family in our program works with an advocate — a teacher, social worker or Holt staff member — to prepare an update 2-3 times per year. This update may be a letter, photo or drawing from your child, or a note from their advocate. And three times per year, we provide opportunities to send a message and photo from your family in return. Click here to read more about corresponding with your sponsored child.
Holt International strives to maintain a low cost of operation, and in 2016, nearly 70 percent of your donation went directly toward services for children, families and communities. As God calls us to be good stewards of your donations, we are always working to increase this percentage. By opting for paperless statements and automatic withdrawal of donations, you help us cut the cost of printing and processing.
Directly giving a family $39 each month to care for their child may seem like a fast and easy way to help, but this approach could actually have a harmful effect on their livelihood. Instead, we provide resources and support that help families get their feet on the ground, and then guide them as they learn, grow and create a stable future — with their children in school, consistent food on the table and the ability to consistently meet their child's needs. This approach is far more empowering and effective in the long term — a valuable lesson we've learned throughout our 60-year history of serving children. To read more about this, click here.
Because of the unique needs of the children we serve, the cost to serve each child is often higher than $39 per month. The children in our programs often have special medical or physical needs, are orphaned or displaced, and/or live in extreme poverty and difficult-to-reach rural areas. For this reason, most children in our programs receive support from more than one sponsor. We pool all sponsorship gifts, which allows us to serve even more children each year in the most cost-effective ways.
