Child protection:
Keeping Children Safe
FH's Commitment
How you can help protect your sponsored child
Your monthly child sponsorship gift is hard at work helping your sponsored child’s community to care for and keep children safe. And your generosity and prayers are helping to nourish your sponsored child physically, emotionally, and spiritually so they can build the future God intends for them.
One of the best things about being a sponsor is the joy you can share by exchanging messages with your sponsored child. Follow these steps to ensure you protect their safety and privacy, as well as your own.
Ways Sponsors Can Protect Children
- For child safety: It’s important all mailed communication goes through our office for review and translation, and all online messages are sent through your Food for the Hungry account here. Both of these methods are quick, easy, and the only safe way to exchange messages with your sponsored child.
- Keep your messages upbeat, positive, and encouraging.
- Share about your family and the activities you enjoy.
- Remind your sponsored child they are special, loved, smart, and full of potential.
- Tell your sponsored child you care about them, and that’s why you’re their sponsor. If you pray for them, let them know!
- Ask your sponsored child what they like to do, and ask about their family.
- You can send photos of yourself or your family, or items such as bookmarks, coloring pages, or flat paper items in your letter. Read our gift policy here.
For the safety of your sponsored child and your family, please do not include any of the following in your messages:
- Your home address or other identifying information, such as an email address or phone number.
- Food, money, toys, school supplies, or personal care items.
- Photos that show your pets, since dogs, pigs, and other animals are considered unclean in many other cultures.
Please don’t connect with your sponsored child on your personal email, phone, or social media like Facebook.
- Lack of safeguards on social media can put your sponsored child’s safety and wellbeing at risk.
- Your social media correspondence may not be kept private.
- Others might pressure your sponsored child to ask for gifts, money, or other favors through social media.
- Differences in language and culture can lead to misunderstandings.
How to write to a sponsored child living in a sensitive community
- Some sponsored children live in “sensitive communities” where a faith other than Christianity is most common. Cultural or legal restrictions make traditional evangelism dangerous or even illegal. In these communities, our trained local staff, and your sponsorship, share God’s love in practical, culturally appropriate ways.
- For the safety of your sponsored child and our team, we cannot deliver messages with certain, explicit Christian references. You can, however, talk to your sponsored child about God and God’s love in general terms and we encourage you to!
Learn more about writing to children in sensitive communities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Sharing safely online about your wonderful sponsored child!
We’d love you to share your sponsorship journey with your friends and family on social media. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- You can share photos of your sponsored child and photos of the letters you receive from them, or of the mail we send you.
- Please use their first name only, for child protection.
- Please make sure any other identifying features like their child ID number are blurred or removed.
- Please always share in a way that is mindful and respectful of a child’s safety and dignity (with the same care you would use for sharing information about your own child).
Here are some example posts from other sponsors. (We love to see your posts, so please tag us!):
“So thankful that we were able to sponsor a second child through Food for the Hungry this week! We’re looking forward to sponsoring more children soon.”
“Today, I met my sponsored child, Joseph, in his community in Uganda. Joseph is a 10-year-old boy who captured my heart. I hope to come back to his community again in the future as this experience has been an incredible blessing!”
“I have sponsored a child through Food for the Hungry for a few years now. My sponsored child is a 12-year-old girl from Bolivia. Rosa and I exchanged letters and she seems to be doing really well in school. I thank God for allowing me to do this.”
Where to mail your cards and letters
Food for the Hungry
Attn: Child Sponsorship Department 2 N Central Avenue
Suite 200
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Please include your sponsored child’s ID# on both the letter and envelope.
Visiting your sponsored child
Call our donor engagement team at 1.866.307.3259 to plan a visit to your sponsored child’s community. We’ll ensure your visit occurs in a way that protects you, your sponsored child, and the communities we serve together. This will be the trip of a lifetime!
Our commitment to keeping children safe
Food for the Hungry believes all people are made in the image of God and should be treated with respect, honored for their intrinsic value, and cared for in ways that glorify God.
Unfortunately, abuse and exploitation of children is a very real and growing worldwide problem.
We are relentless in protecting vulnerable children and communities, as well as supporters like you, and our team.
Who can sponsor a child?
- Child sponsors need to be over 18, but if you’re younger, you can sponsor along with an adult parent or family member. We always encourage kids to get involved in the letter-writing experience.
- To protect sponsored child, individuals who are incarcerated are encouraged to support our work ending poverty in other ways.
- We terminate the child sponsorship of anyone listed on a sex offender registry or anyone who is living at an address found on a sex offender registry.
Please get in touch if you have any concerns or questions
Every child you sponsor through Food for the Hungry is surrounded by loving adults who’ve been trained in child protection. They know what to do if they see the warning signs of child abuse or trafficking.
However, if you ever suspect a child is in danger, or you are contacted by your sponsored child or someone claiming to be them on social media or other means, please report it to donorhelp@fh.org or call 1.866.307.3259.