Child Sponsorship Terms and Conditions
How does the Child Sponsorship pack work?
Completing the reply form and returning it to us, before the pack expiry date, brings the child pictured in the pack into our sponsorship scheme.
Confirmation of sponsorship will be sent in the post. If you want to sponsor the child, please complete and return the Reply Form. Sponsorship will then begin. If you decide not to sponsor the child, you need do nothing. The pack will be reprinted on the expiry date. Please do not reply to out of date packs without contacting us first. The child may already have been sponsored by someone else.
Can I write to my child?
Yes. They will love to receive a letter from you. A photo of you will be treasured as well. Please read instructions for writing to you child below.
What does RSVP stand for?
RSVP : [F repondez s'il vous pla't] "please reply ". RSVP is a Christian Charity founded in 1994. We believe God has invited you to a party that is out of this world. We encourage people to 'RSVP' God's invitation.
How much of my £18.50 a month actually gets to the child?
All donations for sponsorship are pooled as the needs of each child differ widely and some need more help than others. £18.50 is an average of the cost to help a child.
In addition to the benefits listed above, we also want to improve the child's environment, which is why we are helping to build schools, feed the hungry, provide free roofing, goats, cows and give other assistance to the child's family. We are also building homes for orphans in the community, and feeding over 100 street children twice a week.
During Primary School years £7.50 of each monthly sponsorship is used as a donation for our general funds. During Secondary School years this drops to £2.50 as High School fees cost more. Without this donation we could not run the sponsorship scheme, have the worker who looks after the children or improve the child's environment. The scheme simply would not work. This part of the donation also generates a fund to help children who go on to further education or vocational courses, pay their fees after sponsorship has finished.
Where sponsors give more than £18.50 a month, the surplus gift is designated for our general purposes.
General.
In taking out Sponsorship you agree to these terms and conditions. These conditions may change from time to time at the discretion of the Trustees. The current terms and conditions can be found on our website.
RSVP treats all details you give us in the strictest confidence. We do not share our mailing list with any other organisation. We will send you information about our other activities occasionally by post or email.
Additional gifts.
Sometimes a sponsor wants to send an additional gift at Christmas or on a birthday. We are not able to ship presents to Africa, though you may, within reason (see below). If you wish to send a gift of money, (suggested amount, £10 per child, so we don't create dependency) please send a cheque payable to "RSVP Trust" and write your sponsorship reference number on the back of the cheque. Please allow plenty of time (up to 2 months) for your extra gift to reach the child/family. NOTE: FROM 2006, ALL CHRISTMAS GIFTS MAY NOW BE POOLED SO THAT EACH CHILD ON THE PROGRAMME GETS THE SAME AMOUNT.
Writing to your Sponsored Child You may write to your sponsored child. All letters to your sponsored child must be sent direct to our Rwanda Office. You should address them as follows:
CHILD'S NAME, CHILD REFERENCE NUMBER,
The RSVP Trust,
c/o ANLM,
B P 3351 ,
Kigali,
RWANDA.
Take your letter to the Post Office and ask for Air Mail to Rwanda. They will tell you the postage. Please note that all letters to children sent to the UK office will be returned to the sponsor to resend as directed above.
You may now send a book or other gift to your child (you will have to complete a green customs form at the post office). Please do not include your address or phone number in correspondence to your sponsored child.
Not all packets reach our Rwanda office as some Postal Services are less reliable than the Royal Mail. We recommend using Recorded Delivery but even this may not be 100% reliable. We cannot be held liable for packets that do not arrive with the child nor can we trace what happened to them.
Monetary gifts (ie: cheques) must be sent through the UK office - please write your child reference number on the back of the cheque, payable to: "RSVP Trust ".
Please note: the child or their family is not given cash but tells our worker what gift they would like. This is then purchased on their behalf. This avoids problems where there may be alcoholism or other problems in the family. We are not able to specify a particular item from the UK as the child and their family will know best what is needed.
In the unlikely event that you believe a monetary gift has not reached your child, please contact us at the UK office. We have very detailed records of what was sent, when and to whom. In Rwanda detailed records are also kept and we are normally able to trace all gifts successfully.
In the event of a gift that is established to have been received by us and failed to arrive with the child, we will send or resend the gift (at our own expense) and track its arrival.
In the unlikely event that a gift was not sent by us, it will be listed as designated for your child and will never be used for other purposes.
Please do not send a gift for your sponsored child before receiving confirmation of sponsorship, as this will lead to confusion in the system.
Emergencies. In case of war, disaster or other severe situations as determined by us, The RSVP Trust reserves the right to use your sponsorship in the best interests of the child or, in the absence of your child, other children in similar circumstances, to alleviate poverty and distress. In these cases, you will be informed of our actions in writing.
Queries. If you have any questions about sponsorship, please contact us and include your child reference number. We will do our best to resolve any problems.