FAQ

What is the process of enrolling children in education?

Our Volunteers and NGO’s working with children in govt school and slums identify talented children from underprivileged families. These children are made to take an IQ test. . We have a selection panel from the YFS team working on the selction.. The final selection is done after meeting with the students and their parents if need be. Some of the things considered for selection will be the economic background of the family, number of dependents and size of the family.

How do you use the sponsorship amount and what is the parents’ responsibility?
The stipulated amount of annual sponsorship under Integrated Child Sponsorship, which is Rupees 6,000/-, is utilized for the child of your choice. It includes the costs of education, health insurance and mentorship from the pool of volunteers to each child. However, in case, if the child seems to be performing extremely well in his/ her academics, we will try sending him to a better school after monitoring. In this situation, if the amount sent by you does not suffice. We try balancing the costs in the background. For example – the costs incurred by a sixth grade student is less than that of an eight grade or tenth grade. So we see to it that the costs are balanced without over burdening the donors. Else, we bear the cost after updating you, our valuable donor. Ten percent of the sponsored amount is utilized for administrative costs.

Are my contributions tax deductible?
Yes! YFS qualifies as a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization under 80G. You will receive a receipt acknowledging your tax-deductible contributions.

You may send in your contribution on an annual basis or monthly. When we receive your gift, we will send your receipt along with a return envelope for your next sponsorship contribution. Checks should be made payable to HSP-Youth for Seva. Your authorization to have a monthly deduction from your account or on your credit cards will help us have a sustainable and continuous education program for your child.

Am I the only sponsor for my child?
Yes. You will be the only sponsor for your child.

Will my sponsored child understand my letters? Will he/she be able to write back to me?

Yes. There will always be others to help translate letters-a sponsorship secretary, teachers, older children. In any case, we will ensure that your message of love is conveyed to the child.
Your sponsored child will write to you at least once a year and also send a Greeting Card with his/ her photograph on special occasions like festivals. If he/she is in the lower classes, they may not be able to write much in English but will send you wonderful drawings and a few sentences. From class VI onwards, the medium of instruction is English and children can write longer and more meaningful letters. In case the child is not able to write, the teacher responds on his/ her behalf along with a drawing made by the child.

Will the child come to know that I am sponsoring her/ him?
The child knows that she/ he is a sponsored child. She/ He comes to know about the name of the sponsor parent once they receive Letters/ Greetings from the sponsor routed through the Sponsorship Division. As a matter of policy we do not hand out the address of the sponsor.

I may sponsor a child. If I stop sponsorship after a few years will the parents of the child approach/ harass me? Do they know that I am the sponsor?
The parents or the child are aware that the child is sponsored but the address of the sponsor is not given to them as a matter of policy. In the event of continuous communication between the sponsor parent and the sponsored child, the child comes to know of the sponsor. Hence, we suggest that communication be routed through YFS, which will avoid any undue demand from the sponsor. It is at your discretion that the sponsorship support is continued or stopped. Hence nobody except YFS will correspond with you as your address is not passed on to any one.

Will I receive regular information about child’s development/ activities?
We will keep you informed of the child’s progress from time to time. In the month of December/ January the sponsored child writes to his/ her sponsor parent a term letter regarding all development and also sends New Year Greeting Card along with activity photograph. In the month of May/ June we send a Progress Report of the child showing class promoted to, marks obtained, activities attended, hobbies etc. Any special queries by the sponsor will also be replied to by the child/ YFS as the case may be.

Can I send gift/ money to my sponsored children? Can I also send gifts for other children of my sponsored child’s class/ school?
As a matter of policy we do not encourage sponsors to send gifts/gift money to their sponsored children as it creates envy and disappointment for those who may not receive something similar or those who rarely – if ever – receive presents from their sponsor.
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Can a child be visited at school/ home? Can the child be taken to sponsors residence/ hotel?
YFS sponsors have the special privilege of meeting their sponsored child. This experience is very memorable for both the sponsor and the child. As a matter of policy, sponsor parents visit the schools for meeting their wards with the knowledge of YFS. In the light of our experience it is not desirable to take the children to the place of sponsor or hotels where they stay. In case you desire to visit, kindly intimate the schedule of your proposed visit well in advance so that we can coordinate your visit with your child’s availability to help you meet your sponsored children and witness the project activities. We shall confirm the same by co-ordinating with the school authorities so that any inconvenience this may cause can be avoided.

Can I send money directly to my sponsored child?
Sending monetary gifts directly to your child is not advisable. As previously mentioned, when one child receives a gift of any sort and others do not – children are heartbroken and extremely disappointed when left out. . Thank you for your understanding.
You may send letters and cards anytime to our YFS office. We ask that you send your correspondence through us so that we may keep a record and ensure that your private, identifying information is removed and not subject to professional beggars.

I would like to know more about the sponsorship payment schemes. Are there sponsors who pay monthly a fixed amount?
It is possible to make the payment at one time. The sponsorship amount can be paid in instalments also by means of four post-dated cheques spread over a year. It is also possible to pay monthly through your Bank to our Bank A/c through standing instructions to the bankers/ standing instructions on credit card deductions.

Does YFS cater to orphans? What about handicapped children? Are they helped or not?
At present we have no orphans in our centres since we work closely with the slum children. So, this programme mainly focuses on the education of slum children and not orphanages. But yes, we give preference to a disabled or handicapped child. YFS provides in its website the complete background of the child which you can look up before choosing to sponsor. YFS takes care of their education and health. .

How I am to know that the sponsorship I am making is being extended to my sponsored child?
The communication from the child, progress report of the child, will enable you to know that the support goes to your sponsored child

Can I extend my support after the tenure of sponsorship?
Yes. You can. In this case either you can extend your support to the same child on an annual basis or you can take another sponsorship to support another needy child.

Your sponsor money is spent on education, health care and overall development of the child.

Your Sponsorship will provide a child life’s essentials including:
• Education
• Basic Healthcare
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What do I get from Child Sponsorship?

You may not get any measurable outcomes from this sponsorship. However, you are gifting a child its future, which is not only in terms of education but also building hope in the child’s heart.