Holistic Care
for the Whole Life of a Child
Every Story Matters.
When you sponsor a child or family you’re not just giving money and putting a picture on your fridge (although those aren’t bad things). You are becoming a supporting character in their epic God-given storyline. You become a cheerleader, a guide, a helper who God can use to be a part of bringing change to a child or family’s life.
Watch This Video To Learn More
The Impact of Child Sponsorship
Watch This Video To Learn More
The Impact of Child Sponsorship
Sponsorship FAQs
Learn more about how Child and Family Sponsorship works
What can I expect as a sponsor?
As a sponsor, your donation is used to meet the spiritual, physical, educational, emotional, and social needs of the child or family with which you are connected. Two to three times a year, you are able to write and receive letters from your sponsor child. You will also receive email updates on how your contributions impact the children and families Back2Back serves.
How is Back2Back’s Sponsorship Program different from other sponsorship programs?
How much of my donation is given to the child?
No money is given directly to the children or families sponsored in our program. The money you donate each month will be combined with those of other sponsors of the program you sponsor to benefit all who are part of the program. Learn more about Back2Back’s stewardship.
Why does it cost more to sponsor a child through Back2Back as opposed to other similar child sponsorship programs?
Back2Back strives to meet holistic needs by focusing on the spiritual, physical, educational, emotional, and social needs of children and families we serve. This commitment to go deep, by developing the whole child, requires more of a financial commitment than other sponsorship programs. Learn more about Back2Back’s Holistic Care model.
How does Back2Back choose where to offer child sponsorship?
Back2Back is unique in that our primary focus is serving orphaned and vulnerable children. Orphans are defined as children without one or both parents, a definition which also encompasses children who have been abandoned. When Back2Back began in 1997, we ministered solely in children’s homes. Over the years, we have evolved to also work with single mothers who are trying to keep their family intact. We believe this is a proactive attempt to prevent children from being left in children’s homes.
Back2Back chooses where to send missionaries and get involved based on God’s leading and the need of a particular area. Back2Back staff develops a relationship with the directors of the children’s homes, communities, single mothers, churches, and pastors that we partner with before starting our sponsorship program. This ensures Back2Back and those we partner with have the same goals in mind for the children we serve. Learn more about our approach.
What happens to children in a home who do not have sponsors?
All the children in the children’s homes Back2Back serves receive full, holistic care. No child is denied any of their basic needs based on whether or not they have a sponsor. Back2Back provides for unsponsored children through the Back2Back Care Fund.
If I am connected with a specific child, will I be the only person sponsoring them?
The cost of meeting one child or family’s needs for an entire month is actually more than $100. With this in mind, we allow each child to have either two or three sponsors, depending on where they live.
If I am connected with a specific child, how often can I write to them?
You are welcome to write to the child or family you sponsor as often as you like. Three times a year we will translate any letters you have written and deliver them. The children and families will respond, and it will be translated and sent to you. Based on how often you write, you will receive two to three letters back from your sponsor child or family. The children and families love seeing who is writing them, so feel free to include a photograph of yourself and your family.
Please see Back2Back’s Letter Writing Tips for more ideas on what to say. Please keep letters to an appropriate length, keeping in mind that a staff person will translate it. Please submit letters at Back2Back’s Letter Submission link.
Can I communicate with my sponsor child through social media?
Back2Back has social media communication guidelines for any child or family who has a social account. Please click here to read our Sponsorship Safeguarding Covenant Agreement.
If I am connected with a specific child, can I visit him or her?
Yes! Back2Back makes it easy to meet and visit your sponsor child by joining us on a mission trip. Many child sponsors have had the opportunity to build a deeper relationship with their child by meeting them and seeing where they live. Click here to learn more about taking a mission trip with Back2Back.
If I am connected with a specific child, can I get a gift for them?
Yes! Sponsors have the opportunity to make donations to Back2Back’s celebration fund. This fund celebrates special occasions like birthdays, holidays, graduations, etc. Donating at this link and designating your gift to the child or family you sponsor will ensure they receive your generous gifts. To donate for a child or family, simply make a donation on Back2Back’s website.
Is there anything I cannot send to my sponsor child?
As a sponsor, you have many opportunities to communicate with the child you sponsor and we encourage you to do so. When you communicate with him or her, however, we ask you to provide comments and materials consistent with the Christian values and philosophies we share with our partnering churches. We will not forward photographs and other materials depicting activities that:
- Might be considered inappropriate in another culture.
- Promote lifestyle choices that we view as unhealthy and inconsistent with biblically based lifestyles or otherwise inappropriate for sponsored children.
- Might threaten the safety of the sponsored children in any way.
For example, we will not forward materials that depict or describe the use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, unlawful drugs and materials, or activities we regard as dangerous or unsafe. We will not forward materials or communications that advocate another religious worldview. In addition, we will not forward materials depicting persons dressed in immodest clothing or engaging in activities inconsistent with our ministry values and beliefs.
How long should my child sponsorship last?
While each sponsorship is unique based on location and how long a child or family is in programming, it is our desire that you would remain a sponsor to a child or family until they reach self-sustainability.We also understand life happens, and so if it is your wish to discontinue your sponsorship before the child or family reaches self-sustainability, you can do so at your discretion.
Please understand that a sponsored child or family’s circumstances may change, too. For example, sometimes a child leaves a partner children’s home to be reunited with a family member, or sometimes a Strong Family may move beyond the reach of our program.
We will inform you as quickly as possible if any such circumstance affects the child or family you sponsor, and we’ll offer you the opportunity to support another child or family.
What do I do if I need to cancel my child sponsorship?
You can contact the Back2Back Sponsorship team by emailing sponsorship@back2back.org or by calling (513) 754-0300 ext. 1705. You can cancel your sponsorship at any time.
What should I know about my sponsor child?
Many of the children Back2Back works with come from a background of abuse and/or neglect. We ask that as their sponsor, you do not ask your sponsor child about their past. We want the children to focus on today and their future rather than dwelling on negative memories. Most of the children we serve meet with a psychologist to work through woundings from their past. Learn more about the impact of trauma.
Many of the children Back2Back works with have some biological family with which they are in contact. They often will visit these family members on weekends and/or holidays, and some may be reunified with family in the future.
Many of the children have had gaps in their education– whether from not being able to attend school, or by struggling with an undiagnosed or untreated learning disability. Therefore, many of the children are behind in school compared to their age, and are working to get caught up.
Sponsorship Gifts
To help with your sponsor child’s celebration, you can donate to Back2Back’s celebration fund. This fund celebrates special occasions like birthdays, holidays, graduations, etc. Your giving toward this special fund allows your sponsor child and children still in need of sponsors to remember they are known, seen, and loved. You can give online here, or give by check.
Real Change Doesn't Happen Overnight.
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