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Contacting Your Sponsored Child

Letter Writing

Writing to your sponsored child is not compulsory; however hearing from sponsors is very meaningful to sponsored children. It boosts their self-esteem and so much more. For those sponsors that write, communication is an important aspect of their sponsorship at ChildFund Ireland.

By communicating with your sponsored child you can build a life-changing relationship.  See our Guide to Letter Writing for more information, or watch the video below:

Watch it on YouTube: Writing to your sponsored child

Sending Gifts

Many sponsors wish to send their sponsored child a special gift. If you wish to send your sponsored child a gift, we can organise this for you. It is best to send or organise a gift at least 3 or 4 months prior to a special occasion to ensure your child receives it in time.  The most reliable and efficient way of sending a gift is to contribute a little bit of extra money through ChildFund Ireland. Please do not send cash, cheques or money orders directly to your child as they will be returned to ChildFund Ireland for processing.

Monetary Gifts

If you wish to send a monetary gift, we recommend that you send no more money than €50 as a gift for an individual child. The full amount will be forwarded directly to your sponsored child. If you wish to give more, we ask you to consider making a gift to the family or the project to allow all enrolled children to benefit. Please remember to include a €5 handling fee in this.

You can send your gift by one of the following methods:

  • By credit/debit card: If you make your regular sponsorship payments by credit card and if you wish your money gift to be charged to your credit/debit card, please indicate your card number and the expiry date on the Payment Form. Please note that we will use those card details for your future sponsorship payments unless instructed otherwise.
  • By cheque/draft /postal money order: All cheques, bank drafts and postal money orders should be made payable to ChildFund Ireland.
  • If you make your sponsorship payments by Standing Order please send your money gift by cheque or postal order as we do not have the authority to amend your regular Standing Order.
  • If you make your sponsorship payment by Direct Debit, please write to or email us, detailing how much to increase the payment by and for which month.

Please use the following guidelines when sending your monetary gift.

  • Please send your gift directly to the Dublin office at the following address: ChildFund Ireland, 22 Windsor Place, Dublin 2. We will forward 100% of your gift to your sponsored child/child’s family on your behalf and it will be acknowledged by your sponsored child or family member in due course. Please do not send money gifts directly to the child’s project office as it will be returned to the Dublin office for auditing purposes.
  • Please use the Payment Form. You do not need a separate payment form for each sponsored child. Please indicate on the form provided the amount you wish to send to each child.
  • Please note it will take at least two months for money gifts to reach the children.
  • Due to the increased amount of admin work associated with processing gifts, we would appreciate if you could increase your remittance by a €5 handling fee.

Other Gifts

Make sure that anything you include is flat, lightweight and not easily broken. Avoid items that can melt. Please do not send parcels to your sponsored children as customs duties are often significant and often the project must pay to redeem and also there is a high risk of theft.  Some gift ideas that can be sent directly to your sponsored child include:

  • Books – small/flat
  • Photographs – They are likely to become prized possessions! Send photos of your family, friends and your life (please send general situations rather than material wealth)
  • Drawings
  • Hair ribbon or Embroidery thread
  • Stickers
  • Paper dolls
  • Postcards
  • Poems or Stories
  • Colouring book pages
  • Birthday cards
  • Origami paper
  • Stationary
  • Pre-printed pages / pictures for children to fill out
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