| Bright Futures Child Sponsorship Child sponsorship through Bright Futures provides a wonderful opportunity for Australians to contribute to the development of children, families and communities in developing countries, starting in India. While child sponsorship focuses attention on a particular child, the support provided not only assists that child but their whole community as part of a wider development project. At Bright Futures, we place great emphasis on the social, emotional, spiritual and educational development of children. This holistic approach enables children to break free from the poverty cycle and establish social and economic self reliance. How do I become a Bright Futures Child Sponsor? To become a Child Sponsor you simply need to fill out a child sponsorship application form. You may nominate to sponsor a boy or girl or a child within a particular age range. To download a sponsor application form please click here. (PDF Attachment) You can also register to become a sponsor by sending an email to office@brightfutures.com.au or by phoning Bright Futures on (+61 8) 8223 3344 Back to top How do I pay? It costs just $25 per month to be a Bright Futures Child Sponsor. Several payment options are available including automatic direct debit from your credit card or bank account. Payment can also be made by cheque. Changes can be made to your payment method or frequency by phoning Bright Futures or sending an email to office@brightfutures.com.au To download a direct debit authority form please click here. (PDF Attachment) Back to top Are donations and child sponsorship payments tax deductible? Donations and child sponsorship payments to the Bright Futures Overseas Aid Fund (ABN 94 377 547 867) are deductible. How does Bright Futures Child Sponsorship work? Bright Futures works in close cooperation with its overseas development partner, the Bangalore City Mission, in identifying children, families and communities in critical need in quarry villages in and around Bangalore and in poor areas on the city fringe. The Bangalore City Mission submits profiles and information on children in need of sponsorship and undertakes the development work to ensure that the child receives a sound education and that their family and community are assisted through a holistic community development project. As a child sponsor you receive regular updates with photos and information on school and development projects. You also have the opportunity to correspond with your sponsored child. What is the duration of a Child Sponsorship? A child sponsorship usually lasts for a number of years as the child advances in their education and the wider community development project progresses. However, a sponsor may terminate the sponsorship at any time. Research has shown that a good education is instrumental in lifting children and their families out of poverty. At times a sponsorship ceases when the child and their family move away from the area where the community development project is being undertaken. When this happens Bright Futures will let you know the reason why and help identify another child for you to sponsor if that is your wish. Back to top What if my financial circumstances change? Sometimes the personal or financial circumstances of sponsors change making it difficult for sponsorship to be maintained. Sponsors are free to suspend or cancel their payment at any time and for any reason. Can I correspond with my sponsored child? Yes, you certainly can. The children love to receive letters from their sponsors and particularly like receiving postcards or photos. We ask that you not include your personal address in letters to your sponsor child as doing so can lead to unsolicited requests for assistance. Letters are addressed as follows: Name of Sponsored Child (& Sponsor Number) C/- Bright Futures Child Aid and Development Fund 65 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA 5000 We forward your letter to our overseas development partner where the letter is translated if necessary. Both the original and translation are then delivered to the child. Most children in the program are learning English and many are capable of reading the letter themselves. Back to top Will I receive a reply to my letters? The children love to write to their sponsors so you can expect letters in response. Our overseas development partners co-ordinate this process. Communication in the developing world is not as rapid as we experience here so a little patience can be needed. If you haven’t had reply to your letter within three months please contact the Bright Futures office on (+61 8) 8223 3344 or by email office@brightfutures.com.au Can I send gifts? Sending gifts can be very difficult due to the tax and customs charges applied in the recipient country. These charges are often beyond the financial capacity of either our overseas development partner or the child’s family and they frequently exceed the value of the gift. It can also be a source of difficulty where one child receives gifts when others do not. If you would like to do something extra for your sponsored child at a special time of year then please contact the Bright Futures office on (+61 8) 8223 3344 or by email office@brightfutures.com.au Back to top What about visiting my sponsored child? A visit to your meet your sponsor child is a great way to see first hand how your sponsorship is contributing to their life. Bright Futures would be delighted to organise, through our overseas development partner, an opportunity for you to visit. Due to the logistics involved (eg remoteness, communication) we ask that you provide plenty of notice so that our development partners can make all the necessary arrangements to ensure that the visit is safe, enjoyable and beneficial to both you and the child. Because Bright Futures owes a duty of care toward children in the sponsorship program it is our policy to ask sponsors to undertake a police check before any arrangements can be made to visit the sponsor child. We realise that some sponsors may find this requirement onerous, however, current child protection practices make this approach not only prudent but also necessary. I am sure that you will agree that the children must be our first concern. Back to top |
|||