Tag Archives: help american children

Children Incorporated | January 8, 2026

Thank you for your interest in changing a child’s life, and your own, through sponsorship. Whether you’re a part of the Children Incorporated family or just beginning to explore how sponsorship works, we’re glad you’re here.

Below, you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions about becoming a sponsor. We strive to make every step simple, transparent, and authentic, so you can focus on what matters most: giving a child the chance to learn, grow, and dream.

Together, we’re building a brighter future, one child, one sponsor, and one act of kindness at a time.

What Is Sponsorship?

Sponsorship connects a caring donor with a child in need through a monthly gift of $35. Your support provides essentials such as food, clothing, school supplies, and healthcare. In addition, your act of care provides encouragement and kindness to the sponsored child.

Start Sponsoring a Child ›

Why Sponsorship Matters

In addition to financial assistance, sponsorship builds hope. Many children treasure the relationships they form with their sponsors just as much as the assistance they receive. Every letter, photo, and exchange reminds a child that they are seen and valued.

WILL I RECEIVE UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE CHILD I SPONSOR?

Yes! You’ll receive an annual update and photo of your child, along with information about their school progress, interests, and achievements. These updates let you see how your support is changing lives over time. All children will write at least one letter a year to their sponsor, but of course you are welcome to have a written communication with them anytime!

WHAT IF I HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS REGARDING THE CHILD I SPONSOR?

Please call us at 1-800-538-5381 or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org. Depending on the nature of a child-specific question, we may need to contact our volunteer coordinator at your sponsored child’s affiliated site. We will get the requested information to you as soon as possible, as long as it does not violate the child protection and privacy laws to which we adhere.

MAY I WRITE TO THE CHILD I SPONSOR?

Yes! Corresponding with your sponsored child can be a wonderful experience. Our site volunteers will translate your letter, if necessary, and deliver it to your sponsored child. You will find the affiliated site’s mailing address in your child’s information brochure.

Children Incorporated provides resources for children in need in the United States and abroad because we passionately believe that children everywhere deserve education, hope, and opportunity.

WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT?

Writing to your sponsored child can be simple, heartfelt, and fun. The most important thing is to be genuine, kind, and respectful; your sponsee will be excited to hear from you no matter how short or simple your letter is. You can find a detailed description of a guide to writing to your child here.

Can I send packages to the child I sponsor?

For U.S. children: You may send packages directly to your sponsored child’s site address. Please send monetary gifts directly to our North Chesterfield, Virginia office, as our site coordinators are not able to process checks or cash. We recommend using a tracking service, if possible, when shipping a package to the child you sponsor.

For international children: Please send monetary gifts only, as mailed packages can be delayed or lost.

You’re always welcome to send extra financial gifts for birthdays, holidays, or special needs. YOUR additional gift directly benefits your sponsored child and their community.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO VISIT MY SPONSORED CHILD?

Depending on the child’s location and local site policies, visits are sometimes possible. If you’re interested in planning a visit, please contact us for details specific to your child and their site. If the location does allow visits, reach out at least 45 days in advance so we can help with arrangements.

A member of our sponsorship team will guide you through the process. We will ensure that you can complete our visit request forms easily and we’ll make you aware of our child protection policy, which requires a background check (at the sponsor’s expense).

We’ll do everything we can to help make your visit a safe, positive, and unforgettable experience for both you and your sponsored child.

MAY I SEND ADDITIONAL GIFTS FOR MY SPONSORED CHILD (FOR BIRTHDAYS, HOLIDAYS, BEGINNING/END OF SCHOOL YEAR NEEDS, ETC.)?

Yes. Contributions beyond regular monthly sponsorship amounts are always welcome, and there are no minimum or maximum amount restrictions.

With these additional gifts, the needs of the child you sponsor will be addressed first and foremost, and any remaining funds may be shared among other children in need at the same affiliated site at the volunteer coordinator’s discretion. Children Incorporated will designate 10% of your additional contribution to cover our administrative and processing costs; this means your sponsored child and possibly other children at the same affiliated site will benefit from 90% of the total you send as an additional monetary gift.

HOW DO I PAY FOR MONTHLY SPONSORSHIP?

Sponsorship contributions may be made by check, money order, credit/debit card, or ACH transfer (debit from a checking or savings account). Please call us or visit our website if you would like to set up automatic recurring contributions on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or yearly basis.

ARE THERE DEADLINES FOR SENDING ADDITIONAL MONETARY GIFTS FOR THE CHILD I SPONSOR?

Yes. It takes time to process a gift and send it to the child you sponsor, particularly if your child lives in a foreign country. To send additional monetary gifts to your sponsored child, please ensure the gift arrives in our Richmond, Virginia office at least sixty days before the date you would like it to be received by the child.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CHILD I SPONSOR LEAVES THE PROGRAM?

Sometimes, children graduate or move out of program areas. If that happens, we’ll notify you immediately and share another child’s story so you can continue making a difference.

Rest assured: the positive impact of your generosity on each child, as well as on his or her community, endures for a lifetime!

What if I Need to Cancel My Sponsorship?

You can cancel your sponsorship whenever you need; you never have to worry about being locked into a long-term agreement. Sponsorship is flexible, because life and finances can change.

If you need to stop your monthly contributions:

You may cancel at any time.
Please let us know of your decision so we can find a new sponsor for the child you currently support.

Your past gifts have already made a meaningful difference in that child’s life, and we are deeply grateful for your generosity.

Other Ways to Stay Involved

If you’d like to remain connected but cannot commit to a monthly gift:

You can explore other ways to give that do not require ongoing sponsorship.

One-time donations, special project support, or other forms of involvement can still provide vital help to children and communities.

***

Ready to Make a Difference?

Sponsorship changes lives, both yours and the child you choose to support. With a small monthly gift of $35, you can help provide education, nourishment, and hope where it’s needed most.

Every sponsorship begins with one simple step.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Thank you for believing in a world where every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Children Incorporated | January 7, 2026

your sponsorship is more than just financial, it is a path to changing lives

We are so excited you are considering the life changing opportunity of child sponsorship. For around the same amount as a “pizza night” you can provide clothing, food, healthcare needs, and most importantly: hope. Many children living in generational poverty see the greatest impact when they know someone out there believes in them – and that is what a sponsor provides.

Sponsoring a child with Children Incorporated is a very simple process! For $35/month the needs of a child are provided by your contribution. You can begin sponsoring a child in one of three ways:

call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members
email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org
go online to our sponsorship portal and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

Where are you able to sponsor?

We are currently in over 30 countries around the world providing life changing support to children. For a full breakdown of all of the countries we are affiliated with you can scroll and search here. We partner with already-established schools, group homes, and community centers to address the specific needs of the children they serve, offering each child basic needs every month. The wonderful part of our program is when you chose a child, you are the only person sponsoring them – they know you are their sponsor and you are able to write to them, receive letters and updates, and stay informed of their progress.

When searching for a child on our database

For each child, his or her photo (if international), name, country in which he or she lives, and birthday and age will display by default. You may view additional details about a specific child (such as his or her current grade level and favorite school subject or color) by hovering your mouse over his or her “About [Child Name]” link. Unfortunately, photos of children in the United States are not displayed on our website. This is due to the abundance of caution within our child protection policy. But rest assured, if you chose to sponsor a child in the United States, you will receive a physical photo of them with your welcome packet.

To narrow your search to a specific age range, gender, and/or country, please use the corresponding dropdown fields, located along the left side of the screen, to select your preferences and then click “SEARCH”.

Once you have found a child you’d like to sponsor, click the child’s “SPONSOR ME” button. Then, to finalize the sponsorship process, click the heart-in-cart icon within the popup window that appears OR located in the top right corner of the screen.

It is very easy to sponsor a child by going to our website, calling our office, or emailing Children Incorporated.

Lastly, if you have not already logged into or created your Children Incorporated web account, the site will prompt you to do so now. Then/otherwise, you may select your desired frequency for recurring sponsorship contributions (monthly, yearly, etc.), select or add a method of payment, and click “CHECK OUT”.

Congratulations! Once you have completed these steps, you will receive a confirmation email, and, within a few business days, you will also receive a sponsorship welcome packet containing additional details about your sponsored child or children!

DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR GIVING

Outside of sponsoring a child, we also have other ways in which you can donate to help children in need. Donations to our special funds help children, families, and communities in need by offering support beyond sponsorship, often due to unexpected emergencies. These funds include our Clothing Fund, Back to School Fund, Mosquito Net Fund, Hope In Action Fund, and Feeding Programs Fund.

You can also donate to our Special Projects, which allow our donors to support construction projects, expansion projects, community and school gardens, and other efforts to help improve our affiliated sites around the world. Throughout the year, our volunteer coordinators inform us about Special Projects at their particular sites. You can donate directly to these Special Projects online through our Hope In Action Fund. If you would like to receive additional information about our current Special Projects to make a donation to a particular type of project, please contact us today.

***

SPONSOR A CHILD

Rachel Luginbuhl | August 28, 2025

This August marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, forever altering the landscape of New Orleans and the lives of its residents. The storm made landfall on August 29, 2005, breaching levees, flooding neighborhoods, and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Among those hit hardest were school-aged children, who found themselves suddenly without homes, classrooms, or the routines that once gave them a sense of stability.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the city’s public education system was in shambles. Of New Orleans’ 128 public school buildings, 100 were destroyed or rendered unusable. The 2005–2006 school year came to a standstill. By November 2005, fewer than 10 schools had reopened. By December of the following year, just 55 public schools were operating- less than half of the city’s original total.

It wasn’t just the physical infrastructure that changed, the state of Louisiana took control of most of the city’s public schools. This move began a sweeping, and controversial, transformation of the city’s education system. All educators were fired, and the union contract was allowed to expire. Almost all attendance zones were eliminated so that families, in principle, could choose any publicly funded school in the city.

: (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

: (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

: (Photo credit PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

This new system brought both opportunities and challenges. Supporters pointed to academic gains and increased school choice for families. Critics raised concerns about equity, oversight, and long-term community involvement. What remained constant, however, was the need for ongoing support—especially for students from low-income families who were navigating trauma, poverty, and systemic change all at once.

It was during this pivotal time that Children Incorporated began its work in New Orleans.

In 2007 Ron Carter—our Assistant Director of Appalachian Programs and newly appointed Director of Urban Programs—was expanding Children Incorporated’s reach into urban areas. He had just launched our very first partnership with Communities In Schools in Richmond, Virginia, and saw a similar opportunity in Louisiana. Recognizing the urgent needs following the storm, Children Incorporated reached out to Communities In Schools of New Orleans, where he connected with then-Executive Director Sara Massey. After many thoughtful conversations and a thorough vetting process, Sara saw that Children Incorporated would be a reliable and compassionate partner in rebuilding student support systems.

Thanks to Ron’s dedication, Children Incorporated established its first affiliated site in New Orleans: Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary. This was quickly followed by additional school partnerships at four other schools, allowing us to support even more students through one of the most challenging periods in the city’s history.

Over the years, Children Incorporated has supplied essential resources such as school uniforms, shoes, hygiene products, rain gear, and books to students. These supports help reduce barriers so children can attend regularly and participate effectively. Through sponsorship and site-coordinator partnerships, Children Incorporated has provided winter coats, laptop computers, food deliveries, and even utility bill assistance to families. In one school, Children Incorporated helped students establish an edible garden, where children grew fruits and vegetables for cooking classes—housing hands-on learning, nutrition exposure, and teamwork.

Today, we’re proud to continue that legacy through our ongoing partnership with Communities In Schools Gulf South.

By the end of the state takeover 13 years later, all of the city’s schools were converted to charter schools, and New Orleans schools were reunified into one district governed by the local school board and superintendent. By 2015, it became the first major U.S. city to have a school system composed entirely of charter schools. While the city’s school system has evolved dramatically over the last 20 years, one thing hasn’t changed: the need for consistent, personalized support for students who are overcoming the odds—both in school and in life.

As we reflect on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we honor the resilience of New Orleans and the strength of its students, families, and educators. We also recognize the importance of long-term partnerships and the role each of us can play in building brighter futures—no matter what storms may come.

Citation Sources:

***

Want to be part of a story that’s still unfolding?

You can sponsor a child in one of three ways:

call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members
email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org
go online to our sponsorship portal and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | March 31, 2025

In the fall of 2024, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and our International Programs Specialist, Yefiny Mena, visited our affiliated sites in Guatemala and El Salvador to meet with our volunteer coordinators and sponsored children and hear more about how our sponsors are changing the lives of children and families in need in Central America. Today, we hear from Luis about their visit to Santa Isabel Ana Seton in Guatemala City, where Sister Ana Julia Hernandez welcomed them warmly and spoke with them about how our Feeding Program Fund is helping kids she is looking over.

“All the children here seemed happy and eager to learn in school, and the children in the Children Incorporated program were very polite when we met them.”

Visiting with Sister Julia

“Santa Isabel Ana Seton is located in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. It opened its doors to children in 2006, and since then, Sor Ana Julia Hernandez has been our coordinator,” said Luis.

“Out of the 390 students attending the school at the moment, 90 of these students are participating in our sponsorship program. Santa Isabel Ana Seton students also benefit from our feeding program every month, where the coordinator selects 25 children out of the 90 participants in Children Incorporated to provide them with nutritious food. The children selected are the most in need, as Sister Julia has conducted home visits and met with all of their parents.”

“This school is located in the center of Guatemala City and absorbs students from the periphery and red zone areas of the city (zones of low-income families, where common crime is always present). The school has a program that goes from Kindergarten to 9th grade. Santa Isabel Ana Seton School is a well-cared-for school where children feel safe and enjoy a clean environment for education. They have ample space inside the compound, and it is all enclosed and protected. All the children here seemed happy and eager to learn in school, and the children in the Children Incorporated program were very polite when we met them. They wanted to present a small program with culture and songs and dances from Guatemala for us, and we truly enjoyed it!” said Luis.

“The school has a series of buildings in a rather large plot of land right in the middle of the city, which is very unusual. There is one building dedicated to kindergarten, one for primary education classes, and one for middle school education. They also have other small buildings, one with a kitchen, another with a facility for a food preparation skill program, and a garment-making program, which was implemented with the support of Children Incorporated a few years ago. These two programs are very important as they prepare and provide such skills to older children, as well as their parents and relatives, so that they can increment income with the skill. The skill training programs are a one-year program of learning and hands-on practice for them to be completed, and they are very comprehensive and prepare the participants well.”

“Children Incorporated’s monthly support at Santa Isabel Ana Seton covers school fees and other needs, such as school supplies at the beginning of the year and sometimes shoes and clothing, mainly during the holidays and when sponsors send additional gifts. Yefiny and I met with Sister Julia after we toured the school and left very satisfied with all the programs and support the children received, thanks mainly to our sponsors and donors.”

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | March 16, 2025

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Muddy Kids! Thanks to their generosity, Muddy Kids will be donating a portion of funds from each Muddy Kids event in 2025 to Children Incorporated.

“We believe that Children Incorporated’s incredible work aligns perfectly with our values of promoting health, joy, and family unity.”

About Muddy Kids

Muddy Kids is a 1.5–2.2 mile adventure event series for families and kids ages 5–15, with fun and challenging obstacles, mud, and entertainment for the whole family. Muddy Kids doesn’t focus on the fastest times or competitions; the focus is fun, with obstacle courses made for walking, crawling, climbing, sliding, balancing, and laughing all in the mud! Muddy Kids is the perfect event to reconnect, strengthen relationships, have fun, get active, get muddy, and bond as a family.

“We believe that Children Incorporated’s incredible work aligns perfectly with our values of promoting health, joy, and family unity,” said Lizhan, Senior Marketing Manager at Muddy Kids. “Together, we can make a great impact by supporting Children Incorporated while offering participants a fun and meaningful day out.”

We are so grateful for this wonderful partnership. To find out more and see if Muddy Kids will be in your area this upcoming season, visit their website today!

***

Children Incorporated | March 3, 2025En Español

After leaving India, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, traveled to Sri Lanka to visit our two affiliated sites in the country. His first stop was the Touch a Life with Hope Center in Colombo, the capital. Here, girls from low-income families are pursuing higher education thanks to support from their sponsors.

“They indicated that without those benefits from Children Incorporated sponsors, they would have a hard time completing their education, let alone thinking about higher education,” said Luis.

Luis’ Visit

“The Touch a Life with Hope Center is a home for girls in Colombo. The Ceylon Association supports the home, but Children Incorporated sponsorship provides additional support for other needs for the girls such as food, school supplies, and clothes, which is essential to their well-being since funds from the Ceylon Association are limited,” explained Luis.

“Children from the local neighborhood are enrolled in the Children Incorporated program at the home, and they come to Touch a Life twice a month to collect food, school supplies, clothing, or shoes provided by our sponsors. We have also provided additional funding for mosquito nets and, during the pandemic, hygiene items that were very beneficial to all the girls that lived in the home and others enrolled in the Children Incorporated program.”

Looking ahead to higher education

All of the children enrolled at Touch a Life with Hope Center met with me during my visit and shared information on the benefits they receive. They indicated that without those benefits from Children Incorporated sponsors, they would have a hard time completing their education, let alone thinking about higher education,” said Luis.

“The home is located in a good area of the city, adequate, and provides a nurturing environment for the girls. The building houses two large dorms, an adequate kitchen and dining hall, and a section for administration. In the middle, there is a small landscaped area, and in the back, they have toilets and washrooms. To the side of the administration area, there is another section with trees, flowers, and grass that allows everyone to enjoy some quiet time and relaxation. I very much enjoyed my visit and seeing how well the girls were doing at the home.”

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD