What is sponsorship?
Sponsorship allows you to help improve the living conditions of a child from a vulnerable population, as well as those of his or her family, through development projects which benefit the entire community. Once this has been achieved, a part of your contribution will be used to establish development programs, primarily in health and education, in other areas; this helps improve the quality of life in people in other countries.
How long does sponsorship last?
Sponsorship lasts while the child is in primary school, approximately from 5 to 14 years old, depending on the country. Sometimes sponsorship ends because the child migrates with his or her family to another area where Educo is not active. When sponsorship ends for either of these reasons, Educo notifies the sponsor to offer him or her the opportunity to sponsor another child.
Once a child’s sponsorship ends, can I maintain contact with him?
This is practically impossible, since oftentimes the families emigrate and do not say where they are going, which means we lose contact with the child. If the child has gone on to secondary school, this is also difficult, since it is in primary school where the children receive school materials and letters from the sponsors.
Will I receive information about the project I collaborate on?
Once you have sponsored a child, you will receive a photo of the child along with his or her personal information. You will also receive a piece of the child’s school work or a piece of artwork twice a year. In addition, you will receive information about your sponsored child’s country, with emphasis on the projects being carried out in the area where he or she lives. Periodically, you will also receive Educo Magazine, as well as a copy of the Annual Activities Report.
Can I write to my sponsored child?
You can write to the child as often as you wish. You should send all correspondence to the post office box which corresponds to the name of the country where your child lives. The following is a list of the country addresses:
Benín
Cotonou
10 BP 70
Burkina Faso
Ouahigouya
BP 413
Mali
Ségou
BP 409
Bolivia
La Paz
Casilla nº 937 correo central
Ecuador
Guayaquil
Apartado postal 09-08-002
El Salvador
Centro Comercial Peri-Roosevelt, Local 3,
Apartado postal: 01-02
Av Francisco Gavidia (59 Avenida Sur), San Salvador
Guatemala
Santa Cruz del Quiché
4ª. Calle 3-16 zona 1,
Nicaragua
Managua
Apartado postal 409
Bangladesh
Banani, Dhaka-1213
Post office box No. 9061 Banani Post Office
Camboya
SangKat Beoung Tompun, Khan Meanchey, Phnom Penh
PO Box 23 No. 149 bis, St 12 BT
Filipinas
Legazpi City Albay
P.O Box 220 Legazpi Post Office 4500
La India
Plot No. 579/580, 5th Road,
Flat No.1002, Mohini Heights Chs. Ltd. 10TH Floor,
Khar Road, Khar West, Mumbai: 400052.
Once the correspondence has been received in the country's central office, our local team will deliver it to the sponsored child. We ask that you send your letter directly to the central office so that we can ensure that your letter reaches its destination.
What does the child know about me?
The child knows that Educo collaborates in the schools and is aware of the help that comes from Spanish collaborators, although we never make this relationship personalized since not all children in the schools are sponsored.
If I write, will my sponsored child respond?
Sometimes the children do write back, although this is not usually the case considering that the sponsored children are in primary school and many of them have not yet reached a good reading and/or writing level. Moreover, Educo carries out its projects in very poor communities where many children spend a lot of time traveling to and from school and, upon returning home, must help with domestic chores or care for their younger siblings. Of course, if the child does want to write to his/her sponsor, this can be done through Educo. Our colleagues collect the letters from the children who have wanted to write, and when a mailing is made to the Barcelona headquarters, they take advantage of this to send the letters so that these can then be sent to the sponsors.
What type of projects does Educo carry out?
In Educo we work on long-term development projects to ensure that the most disadvantaged communities of Latin America, Africa and Asia can improve their living conditions in a sustainable way.
What type of information will I receive on the projects which benefit my sponsored child?
At home you will receive periodic updates on our activities through the Educo Magazine. Each year, you will also receive our Annual Activities Report, which will provide you with a detailed account of all we have accomplished. You can also find additional information on our website.
Is it possible to work as a volunteer on the projects?
The teams working on the projects are usually people from the country and specialized in specific fields. This way, we are able to achieve a greater level of interaction between the communities we work with and our technicians. You can contact our volunteer department at the following address: voluntariado@educo.org.