As a sponsor, one of the best ways to help your child is to build regular correspondence with them. This helps them improve their English reading and writing skills. It also helps inspire them to work hard in school because they know that their sponsor cares about them. For many of the children, especially those living with guardians, having a person show that they really care about them is of deep emotional value.
There are two easy ways to correspond with your child:
1. Email: Send an email to: MyStudent@NgongRoad.org
DO NOT substitute the name of the child for “MyStudent”. This is a group email. Each child does not have his or her own.
When sending an email please put the full name of the child in the “Subject” line of the email and the full name of the sponsor of record so we can make sure that the right email goes to the right child.
For example:
To: MyStudent@NgongRoad.org
Subject: Freshia Wanjiru Sponsored by Keith and Kathleen Kale
2. Postal: Please be aware that the Kenya postal system is unreliable. Not all letters sent in the past have made it to our office. We recommend against sending anything of value though photos are fine and the children appreciate them.
Ngong Road Children Association
P.O. Box 1765 Karen
00502 Nairobi, Kenya
Attention: Name of Child
First class postage for a 1 oz letter is $1.10.
We have adopted a new policy and ask that all sponsors refrain from sending money directly to your child. We have learned in the past year that when money is sent we don’t know how it is used. Ngong Road Children Association never gives money to the children or their families – they give food, uniforms, books, etc. If there is something special you would like to have done for your child, we ask that you do it through the Program.
What to Write About:
We have found that writing one or two simple questions in your correspondences can help you get to know your student better and form a deeper relationship. We do not recommend sending anything of value although photos are fine and the children appreciate them.
We ask that sponsors refrain from sending money directly to their child. We have learned that when money is sent directly it may be mis-spent by the parent or guardian. Ngong Road Children Association never gives money to the children or their families – they give food, uniforms, books, etc.
How Your Letter is Delivered:
When your email or postal letter is received at our office, your student’s caseworker (after printing it off in the case of an email) carries it to the school (or home if the timing aligns with a routine visit)and gives it to the child and helps them write a reply. If not practical to deliver it directly, the caseworker will notify your student that he or she has received mail and give instructions to come to the office to receive it and reply. If your child lives too far away from the office to walk, he or she can be reimbursed for transportation expenses by our office. This is the case for most secondary and post-secondary students and a few primary students in boarding school.
Timing:
We try to deliver the mail promptly. During exam weeks at the end of each trimester, students are not able to travel to the office and caseworkers are not allowed in the schools for routine visits. Therefore, the student’s responses will be delayed. The exam weeks are typically at the end of each trimester (late March/early April, late July/early August, late November/early December). Please keep this in mind as you anticipate your student’s reply.