1.   Why doesn’t CARA do individual child sponsorship?

 

Our efforts to design a CARA child sponsorship programme began with research into similar programmes. We found it well documented that individual child sponsorship programmes can be problematic, mainly through creating a personal link between the donor and sponsored child. This can lead to disempowerment, dependency, violation of the child’s rights to privacy and even security concerns. Individual sponsorship programmes can also generate wider difficulties, creating anxiety and jealousy among community members who, for reasons unclear to them, do not also receive sponsorship.

 

For more details on these concerns, we recommend the New Internationalist's summary of child sponsorship criticisms.

 

2.  What’s different about sponsoring a child through CARA?

 

Rather than selecting an individual child to sponsor, we ask that you sponsor a group of children. These groups have been 

carefully selected based on urgent needs categories. So, for example, rather than sponsoring one child, you can become one of several sponsors of a group of HIV positive children. We aim to solve the problems of individual child sponsorship programmes by making CARA's sponsorship programme group-based, with those groups clearly prioritised on the basis of some of the community’s most urgent needs.

 

3.  Will the children in my sponsorship group remain the same over time? Or will there be changes to the children included in my chosen needs group?

 

As needs change, new children and families may be brought into your sponsorship group, while other children’s situations may have changed for the better so that they no longer need your help. This a key part of our sponsorship programme, enabling us to react to needs on the ground and prioritise the neediest for support. In this way we avoid locking children into long-term assistance beyond where it is needed. 

 

4.  How many other sponsors will each group of children have?

 

This varies based on the group. However, CARA will only ever seek the number of sponsors required to meet each group of children’s needs.

 

5.  How much does it cost to sponsor a child with CARA?

 

Any donation, however big or small, makes a difference. We ask our sponsors to select their level of monthly support, with options ranging from contributions of £2 to £30 per month.

 

6.  What will I receive as a CARA group sponsor?

 

As a CARA sponsor, you will receive quarterly updates. To protect the privacy of the children we support, our sponsorship programme does not include sharing of individual case details. However, our updates will include a summary of how your sponsorship donations have been spent. For example, we'll tell you how many journeys to school sponsors for your needs group have supported, or how many courses of hospital treatment you have facilitated.

 

7.  How will my sponsorship donations be used?

 

100% of your donation will be sent to our Partner Organisations on the Thai-Burma border to provide essential support to the children and families included in your chosen needs group. As in all walks of life, different needs and different cases require different types and levels of support. The sponsorship pages for each of our needs groups, accessed via our Sponsorship Homepage, provide a summary of the kinds of support that each needs group will typically require. Our quarterly updates will provide further details on exactly how your sponsorship donations were used in that period.

 

8.  How can I sponsor a group of children with CARA?

 

To sponsor a group of children with CARA you first need to select a needs group from our Sponsorship Homepage. Then, just follow the instructions on the needs group's sponsorship page to set up your Paypal monthly donation.