Your letters make a difference

• Keep your letters short and simple.
• Avoid certain topics.
• If you sponsor as a group...
• Allow your sponsored child the appropriate time to develop letter-writing skills.
• You may send a small paper gift for your sponsored child with a letter.

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Children in poverty are susceptible to believing its darkest message: You don't matter. Sponsors are integral to our program of helping children overcome the mind-set of poverty. The regular giving of a sponsor says to a child that someone believes he or she has worth. But how much stronger is that message when a sponsor writes it down and sends a message from his or her heart to the heart of that child saying, "I'm watching you grow, and I'm proud of you!"

We don't require that sponsors write their sponsored children, but we strongly encourage them to do so. Even if you take the opportunity to visit your sponsored child — and we hope you have that unforgettable experience — correspondence is the best way to demonstrate to your sponsored child that he or she matters.

Letters also allow you to discover the joy and privilege of having one of God's precious children pray specifically for your needs. And it will allow your sponsored child the opportunity to enjoy the fullest developmental impact of sponsorship. The very mechanics of letter writing develop communications and literacy skills in children. More important, your letters will establish you as a very important person in the life of the child you sponsor. That means you will be counted as a source of encouragement and support to your sponsored child as he or she grows. Very often, children will keep every letter from their sponsors in a treasured place and use them as a reminder that someone very special cares about them enough to invest in them through time, prayer, and resources. Never underestimate the positive impact your letters can have on your sponsored child.
For many of us, deciding how and what to write is sometimes more difficult than writing itself. That's why we're offering you the following hints for writing to your sponsored child.

Keep your letters short and simple. Write about things your sponsored child will understand. Here are some proven topics that work well:

• Describe your family. Children also love to receive pictures of their sponsors' families.
• Discuss your favorite pastimes. Explain what you did on vacation. Talk about your hobbies or sports you enjoy.
• A description of your work, church or school would be of interest to your sponsored child. Work is an especially appropriate topic for older children.
• Talk about your relationship with Jesus Christ and share your prayer requests.
• Explain customs for special holidays.
• Provide a general description of the area where you live (no specific addresses, please).
• Encourage your sponsored child in any success or milestone he or she has achieved.

Also, we request that you keep your letter's length to one page of printing or double-spaced type to help our translators. That will also help your letter get to your sponsored child as quickly as possible.

Avoid certain topics.The list above is a good starting point for exploring together what you have in common. There are, however, a few things that might actually make the child you sponsor feel uncomfortable. These include:

• Elaborating on your material possessions (for example, the size of your home or kind of car you drive). This will only accentuate the difference between you and the child you're helping.
• Suggesting that your sponsored child visit the United States.
• Using slang or colloquialisms that would be difficult to translate or understand.
• Asking what your sponsored child would like as a gift from you. In many countries we serve, such a question puts a child in a very awkward social position.

Correspondence between you and your sponsored child is not "overnight mail," but it is efficient. After we receive your letter at Compassion's Colorado Springs office, we forward it along with other sponsors' letters to the country office where our staff has them translated. The translations are checked over, and the letters are then forwarded to the children in the projects. Depending on the accessibility of your child's project, it may take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for correspondence to travel between you and your sponsored child, but our experience has shown us that routing letters through the Compassion system is still the most efficient way to handle correspondence between sponsors and children. Here's why:

• First, it allows us to secure the appropriate translation service both sponsors and children need for effective communication. (Please note that you may write to your sponsored child in his or her own language, but a partial translation may still be necessary in areas where the dialect varies.)
• Second, it allows us to secure the quickest delivery means possible for your letter to reach your sponsored child. We employ efficient, cost-effective means of delivery. Often the best means of delivery for children in remote or highly transient areas is for correspondence to be hand-delivered to your sponsored child's project by Compassion representatives — a type of service simply not available through the postal systems in most of the countries we serve.
• Third, it allows you to protect your privacy. The only return address noted on a correspondence package is Compassion's. To ensure that your privacy is kept intact, we encourage you not to include your address or telephone number on letters to your sponsored child.

The most important thing about writing letters to your sponsored child is that you write. You can use the Compassion letter-writing form and envelope. If you prefer, you can use your own stationery as long as you include the following information:

1. Your sponsored child's name and complete number at the beginning of the letter.
2. Our Colorado Springs office address on the envelope: Compassion International
   Colorado Springs, CO 80997
3. Your own return address on the envelope.

You may also write to your child via e-mail once you log in to My Account. NOTE: We do not accept attachments that are self-extracting files or any file with an extension of .exe.

If you're sponsoring as a group, it's best to appoint one person from your group to correspond with your sponsored child. It's far less intimidating for a child to talk with one person than before a group of adults. The same principle applies to letter writing: the child will be most comfortable corresponding with one consistent person representing your group. Of course your group can construct composite letters to send to your sponsored child; simply have the same person close each letter with his or her personal name before the group name.

Allow your sponsored child the appropriate time to develop letter-writing skills. Children love to receive letters, but they may find it very difficult to write them. This is especially true for younger children, children who start late in school, and children in remote locations. You'll receive about three letters a year from your sponsored child, and your sponsored child will write those letters himself if he is able. Otherwise, project staff or teachers will assist your sponsored child in writing. In the learning process, some projects teach children to copy text from the board or use a "fill-in-the-blank" format to help them develop their writing skills. (Most children need some assistance until they reach the fourth grade; some children with disabilities need assistance throughout their time as sponsored children.)

You may send a small paper gift for your sponsored child with a letter. You can enclose small paper items—postcards, greeting cards, bookmarks, stamps, pages from coloring books, appropriate photos, and pictures—with the letters you write. Children love receiving these gifts that are simple reminders of their sponsors' special love for them. The paper items cannot be larger than 8" x 11", and cannot be more than 1/8" thick. It is a good practice to label all pieces with the child's number.