FAQ ABOUT CHILD SPONSORSHIP
Few things are more rewarding than knowing that you are contributing to the physical, educational, and spiritual life of a needy child.
With the help of donors around the country, the schools
continue to serve the children of Nicaragua.
How much does sponsorship cost?
We have several levels of giving----$34, $50, $75, $100, or more per month.
You may also pay sponsorship by the year.
We are thankful to those who have been generously blessed and are able to contribute more than $34 per month.
You may contribute on a monthly or yearly schedule---- pay whichever way is convenient for you, but we do request that you let us know if your situation changes, & you will be ending your sponsorship.
Start any month you wish. We have school bills to pay year round.
We also welcome lump sums to the general fund, or for a particular purpose or ministry (like education), or "where needed most".
How much of my sponsorship donation goes to directly benefit the children in Nicaragua?
100% of your contribution goes to pay the education expenses of the children.
We have donors who contribute to pay the foundation expenses, such as newsletter production and mailing, office supplies and equipment, and our website hosting service.
How is my sponsorship money used?
Your donation is pooled with the other contributors' money & is used to pay for the expenses of the schools: teachers' salaries, noon meals, books, school supplies, uniforms, utilities, other staff (cooks, guards, janitor), maintenance, equipment, and other expenses.
Is my contribution tax deductible?
Yes, NiCE Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, and your contributions are deductible in the U.S., to the full extent of the IRS laws.
You will receive a "statement of giving" in January each year that you may use to substantiate your gifts for income tax purposes.
We do not send out monthly "bills", so we ask that you are faithful to your commitment.
If you have lost track of your donations, and wish an update from us, please EMAIL US for that information.
How do you keep the school in operation and fully funded?
It is a challenge for several reasons:
Inflation (11% or more per year) takes a continual bite out of our finances.
No child leaves school or is denied an education because he/she does not have a contributing sponsor, so ALL children in a sponsored school are funded by the available pool of sponsor money.
We continue to enroll a full class of preschool and first grade children each new year (January), and keep the older children in school regardless of whether they have current sponsors.
Sometimes sponsors are unable to continue sponsoring, or send money on an erratic basis, or stop sponsoring for a period of time, without notifying us of their intentions.
Rather than repeatedly raising the cost of monthly child sponsorship so that we can keep our schools open, we have chosen instead to assign more than one sponsor to a child. This allows us to have a more steady flow of money to keep the bills paid.
May I select what gender and age of child I want?
Yes, we usually have children of both sexes & multiple ages available for sponsorship.
If you have a gender preference, let us know when you fill out the
If you have an age preference (older vs younger) please put it in the comment section.
How long may I sponsor my child?
For as long as you choose to sponsor, and your child remains in school.
The schools that we support are primarily for children in preschool through 9th grade.
If your child graduates from 9th grade and qualifies for an academic scholarship to complete his/her final 2 years of high school at a neighboring Christian school, you may choose to continue sponsoring for the final 2 years. (High school ends with completion of 11th grade.)
Children leave school primarily for one of 2 reasons: a family move or poor grades, usually accompanied by a conduct or attendance problem, or occasionally a child leaves due to a learning disability that we do not have the resources to address.
The neighborhoods that we serve are very transient neighborhoods. Families move often in their quest for jobs and better housing.
We do our best to keep our children in school, but in the event that your child leaves school, we will contact you and offer you another child to sponsor.
What information will I receive about my child?
We will send you a photo and information about your child & your child's family.
Each year you will receive a new photo.
From time to time, you will receive a letter or card from your child.
You will receive periodic newsletters containing general information about our activities in Nicaragua, including the schools and the children. If you have an email address, please give it to us so that we contact you quickly, easily, and cheaply, if we need to.
What can I do to communicate with my child?
Of course the most exciting way for you to communicate with your child would be for you to come on a SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIP to meet your child and his/her family. Nearly all of our sponsors have either met their child in person or know someone who has.
We encourage you to send photos (write the names of people in the photo on the back), cards, and short letters to your child. Short letters and cards in English will be translated to your child. You have no idea how cherished these photos and cards will be!
Be sure to put your child's name and NUMBER on each piece of mail.
There are no street addresses or any door-to-door mail delivery in Nicaragua, so send your child's mail to us at NICE FOUNDATION, and we will take it down and deliver it for you.
May I send gifts to my child for Christmas and birthdays?
You MAY put a few stickers or a bookmark or a pencil (a gift of nominal value and size) in the envelope with your photos/card/letter as long as it fits in a NORMAL-SIZE envelope.
PLEASE NOTE: The children will TREASURE photos! They want to see what YOU look like, just as you want to see what THEY look like!
We welcome monetary contributions that will be used to help pay for the Christmas treats and party, and other special events for all our children.
We regret that we are not able to accept special (big in size or expensive) gifts for your specific child or his/her family. Yes, we KNOW that you want to send your child special things.
Giving gifts to one child and not to all children creates hard feelings (and sometimes physical violence) among the children, as well as their parents, & we know that you would not want to cause harm to your child.
Our children, parents, and school staff are ALL in agreement that they prefer that we "bank" gifts and give them out periodically to an entire roomful of children at a time.
We welcome contributions to our "gift bank". Any special gifts sent to a specific child will be used as a special award (for attendance, grades, etc) or placed in our "gift bank".
Why is this education so important to my child?
Nearly 2/3 of the children in Nicaragua do not complete the 6th grade, & these figures are likely to be much higher in the neighborhoods of the schools where we work.
The public schools are often of very poor quality, with run-down buildings, lack of books and other supplies. Often even desks are lacking.
Many of our children cannot afford to buy the required uniforms and supplies to attend public school.
Education is a means out of poverty for a child, and usually raises the standard of living for the entire extended family.
The greatest reason that this education is so important is that your child receives the opportunity to learn of a loving Savior and his saving grace!
