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 Q. Will I receive any information about the child that is assigned to me? A. Yes, once their payment is received, sponsors will receive an information sheet with a photo and basic information about their sponsored child and the child's family, as well as information concerning how to correspond with their child. Q. If I continue to sponsor for more than one school year, can I continue to sponsor the same child? A. Yes. Sponsors will be contacted during the summer to see if they would like to renew their sponsorship for the new school year in the fall. They may continue to sponsor the same child as long as the child remains in the program. Q. If I begin my sponsorship during the course of a school year, will my payment be due at the same time of year as when I make my first sponsorship payment? A. No, the sponsorship payment is a twice-annual payment which corresponds with the annual calendar year. Payments are due in January and again in July. When you begin your sponsorship you will be notifed concerning when your next payment will be due.  Q. How much of my sponsorship payment actually makes it to Haiti? A. 100% of the sponsorship payment goes directly to Haiti. NONE of it is used to cover the administrative expenses of the program here in the United States. Q. How can the schools afford to feed the children each day when we only make two sponsorship payments each school year? A. Most of the schools receive donated food from the World Food Program (WFP) and this is what is used to feed the children a meal of rice and beans each school day. Therefore, the schools do not have to purchase all the food the children are eating each day. Currently, the only schools in the Sponsorship Program who are NOT receiving this assistance from the WFP are the school in Trou du Nord and the secondary school in Terrier Rouge. The school in Trou du Nord could apply to receive aid from the WFP but the secondary school in Terrier Rouge will not be able to receive assistance from the WFP because the WFP only donates food to primary schools, not secondary schools.  Q. If all of my sponsorship payment is going to Haiti, how do you meet the expenses of running this program? A. All of our expenses in running the program are met through separate donations from sponsors or other people who have an interest in this program. To learn more about sponsoring a child, please visit our Sponsorship Page. Q. What language do the people in Haiti speak?  A. The common language in Haiti is Haitian Creole. This is the first language they would learn to speak in their homes, in most cases. However, French is the language of the government, the legal system and the educational system. Anyone who has had the opportunity to have an education would speak French. Q. At what point would a child begin to learn French and English in the school of L'eglise Baptiste? A. The children in the Center of Protection are taught in Haitian Creole, but they are already beginning to learn basic French vocabulary. By the time the child reaches the 4th level in the school (4th grade), they would begin to be able to read and speak French. Then after they enter the secondary school, they begin to learn English vocabulary. By the time they reach the 9th level (9th grade), they would begin to be able to read and speak English. Q. Do all the children in the school attend L'eglise Baptiste?  A. No. The school is for any child in the village who needs to attend school. The children attend many different churches and some do not attend any church. Q. How many different churches are there in Terrier Rouge? A. We have never specifically counted them, but we do know there is a Catholic church, a Seventh-Day Adventist church, an Assembly of God church, the Maranatha church (which is a Pentecostal-type church) and another Baptist church, Emmanuel Baptist. There are probably more than these 6 (including L'eglise Baptiste), but we do not know what denominations they are. Q. Do any of these other churches have their own schools? A. Yes. The Catholic church has a school as well as the Assembly of God church. There is also a state-run school in Terrier Rouge. There may be others as well, but we do not have any information about them. Q. I've noticed that my sponsored child's parent(s) do not have any work. How do they provide for their families?  A. Good question! We have asked this question many times ourselves. The best answer is that many people do not have a "regular" job - one they go to regularly every day. But they will go out each day and find some work they can do, even if it's only for that one day, to earn enough money to feed their families. Q. The number of siblings listed on my sponsored child's information sheet changes when I receive updates. Why is this? A. This could be the result of many different things. Family situations in Haiti can be very complicated (as they often are in the United States as well!) There is a fairly high birth rate, so if there in an increase in the number of siblings, this could be why. There is also a fairly high death rate, especially in children under age 5, so if there is a decrease in the number of siblings, this could be the explanation. Sometimes when a child is asked how many siblings they have, they will count themselves so this can effect the sibling count, especially if the child is asked one time and the parent is there the next time when the child is interviewed. Also, "blended" families are very common in Haiti. Some children will count only the siblings who live in their household but their parents might count all their siblings. Lastly, it often happens that there are other children living in the child's home who are not their brothers and sisters but may be cousins or not related at all. However, the child will often count these other children in the home as their siblings. Q. I would like to send something to my sponsored child but they have several siblings. Can I send something to their siblings as well?  A. Yes, but please do not feel as though you have to send someth ing to their siblings when you send something to your sponsored child. In general, people in Haiti will naturally share whatever they have, if they have more than they need for themselves. For example, if you sent a package of pencils, your child would naturally give some of the pencils to their siblings. Q. I want to send something to my sponsored child, but I have no idea what to send. Can you suggest something? A. The children in Haiti are really no different than our own children. The girls love "pretty" things - imitation jewelry, hair bows, hair clips, dolls (in dresses, not pants), clothing, and most are in need of dress shoes. The boys all love soccer, matchbox cars, they also enjoy receiving clothing, and are usually in need of dress shoes too. If you want to send toys, just remember to "keep it simple". Try to avoid things that need batteries - the girls still play with things like jump ropes and jacks. School supplies are always a good idea and you could even send simple household items for the family like bath soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, simple kitchen utensils, sewing supplies, etc. If you would like any other suggestions or have questions about specific items, please contact us.  Q. I have an attic full of good used clothing. Can the ministry send those items down to Haiti or take them with them on their next mission trip? A. For the answer to this question, please click here to read our policy concerning donations in kind. Q. My child is in the 5-year-old class in the Center of Protection. I've heard there is a graduation ceremony for the 5-year-olds at the end of the school year. Can you tell me about this? A. Yes, there is a grand ceremony for the 5-year-olds' graduation from the Center of Protection. They have caps and gowns and receive diplomas in a ceremony filled with special recitations by the graduates, dances, songs, speakers, etc. It's quite a production and a very special occasion for the graduates and their parents. If you would like to see photos of the most recent graduation ceremony, please visit our Trip Photos page. Q. My child is in the secondary school and their class level is something called "secondary third". Can you tell me what this means?  A. The secondary school has different class levels than what we would have in our middle and high schools. The secondary school starts with class levels 7 and 8, which would be like our 7th and 8th grades in Middle school. The next level would be 9, which would be like our 9th grade in High school. After the 9th level, they have secondary third, followed by secondary second, secondary first and finally, philo. Philo would be one grade higher than our 12th grade in High school. Q. How often do you visit Terrier Rouge? A. Currently we visit Terrier Rouge at least 2 times each year to gather information for the sponsorship program and to assist the church with any work projects they have going on. Trips are usually scheduled for March or April and then again in September or October. Sponsors will receive updated information on their sponsored children after we return from these trips. Once per year they will receive a full update with a new photo, new sizing information and any changes in their child's family situation and once per year they will receive a more general update. |
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