SAFETY

Keeping Children Safe

FH's Commitment

Food for the Hungry (FH) 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 beneficiaries, especially children, is a very real and growing worldwide problem. We believe it is our duty and responsibility to protect children, vulnerable communities, and our staff.

How FH Protects Children

Your monthly child sponsorship gift is already helping support your sponsored child’s entire community to care for and keep children safe. As you continue to build a meaningful relationship with your sponsored child by writing letters, it’s also important that you communicate in a way that is safe and appropriate for children. Please write your letters with care, including positive and encouraging messages for your sponsored child.

Sponsors can also support FH in protecting children through prayer. Please be praying for your sponsored child’s health and safety and for their family and community. Together, staff, sponsors, and families can work together to keep everyone safe.

Ways Sponsors Can Protect Children

For child safety purposes: When you communicate with your sponsored child, it is important that all communication goes through the Food for the Hungry main office for review. For your and your sponsored child’s safety, we do not support contact with your sponsored child through social media or other means such as email or phone. Writing letters is the best way for you to encourage and inspire your sponsored child!

What to Include in Your Letters to Sponsored Children

When writing to your sponsored child, be sure to keep your messages upbeat and encouraging. You can 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. You can also ask your sponsored child what they like to do, and ask about their family. If you pray for your sponsored child and their family regularly, tell them so.

You can even send along photos or items such as bookmarks, coloring pages, or flat paper items in your letter. You could share a photo of yourself or your family! Read our gift policy here.

To a child, letters and photos from their sponsor are so meaningful. It is amazing how even a short note can be a great encouragement! You can write a letter and mail it to FH to translate and deliver to your sponsored child. Or you can write your sponsored child online, and we will translate and send it to your sponsored child.

Where to Mail 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.

For the safety of your sponsored child and your family, please do not include any of the following in your letters:

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.

Writing to Children in Sensitive Communities

You can help keep sponsored children and their families safe by communicating in culturally-appropriate ways. This includes exercising caution in how you talk about faith with sponsored children who live in religiously “sensitive communities.” We call a community “sensitive” when its culture or laws make traditional evangelism ineffective, illegal, or even dangerous. If your letters include references that would pose a threat to your sponsored child or their family, FH staff will reach out to you and remove inappropriate references.

Learn more about writing to children in sensitive communities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

You can always write to your sponsored child about your family and remind them that they are special and ask your sponsored child questions so you can learn more about them.

Sharing Online About Your Sponsored Child

We encourage you to share with your friends on social media about your experience sponsoring a child. You can share photos of the letters you receive from your sponsored child, or of the mail we send you. Please use only the child’s first name, and please share in a way that is mindful and respectful of child safety. Here are some posts that other sponsors have shared. We love to see your posts, so please tag us.

Example Posts:

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 and can’t wait to give our second annual Christmas gift this month.

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 and one that I will never forget!

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 love that I can help her, her family, and their community with such a small amount each month. I thank God for allowing me to do this.

Visiting Your Sponsored Child

Sponsors interested in meeting their sponsored child should call our donor engagement team at 1.866.307.3259 to plan a visit to the child’s community. We will ensure the visit occurs in a way that protects both people in FH communities and FH supporters.

Who Should Sponsor a Child?

Child sponsors with FH are individuals over the age of 18 who care about those in need and want to build a relationship with a child and their family through letter writing and monthly support.

Children under the age of 18 can sponsor along with an adult parent or family member and are encouraged to participate in the letter-writing experience.

To protect children in FH programs, individuals who are incarcerated are encouraged to support FH’s 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.

Contact Us with Concerns

Child safety is important. You can help protect your sponsored child. Every child FH serves is surrounded by loving adults who have been trained in child protection. They know the warning signs of child abuse or trafficking and know what to do if they see signs. However, if you should become aware of or even 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.