Each month, Forward Edge pools the gifts of all sponsors who support children in the same program. These funds are then evenly disbursed to help all the children in the program whether they have a sponsor yet or not. As more sponsors are recruited, more children can be added to that program. We assign each sponsor a specific child because of the value we place on relationships when serving the materially poor. It means so much to these children (and their families) to hear that their sponsor is praying for them and writing them letters. We’ve also found that the relationship provides a richer experience for the sponsor as well.
You can be! The cost to cover the physical, educational and spiritual needs of a child in one of our non-residential programs requires three sponsorships ($114/mo). We realize not everyone can afford this monthly rate, so splitting it up into $38 increments allows for each child to have one, two or three sponsors.
Absolutely! In fact, we encourage you to write your child – that’s one of the most meaningful and influential aspects of sponsorship. You can find letter writing ideas here. Your child will write you two times a year, and will also reply to every letter you send. Feel free to also include small items that can fit in a first-class mailing envelope such as photos, poetry, stickers, etc. If you’d like to send a special gift (i.e. for a birthday or Christmas), we recommend a financial gift in the $20-$40 range. We encourage the gift to be financial so that items can be purchased on location, thereby lowering overhead costs and investing in the child’s local economy. Depending on the current needs, all special gifts will be used to either directly bless your child, his or her family, or a group of children in the program (including your child) on his/her behalf. When giving any special gift, please indicate who the gift is for and the occasion in the notes section online, or in the memo line of a mailed check. All letters and gifts should be sent to:
Forward Edge International
Attention: Child Sponsorship [Name of Child]
PO Box 1510
Brush Prairie, WA 98606.
Interaction with a sponsored child via social media can be more damaging than helpful when building a relationship with them. That’s why we’ve created this social media policy to protect both our sponsors and children:
Forward Edge encourages a growing relationship between sponsor and child. In order to ensure these relationships remain safe and healthy, all communication must be in written or email form and channeled through the Forward Edge IHQ. Additionally, in an effort to uphold appropriate boundaries for everyone involved, all communication through social media – such as Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, WhatsApp, etc – is prohibited.
For more information about our social media policy read our blog: Why Can’t I Instant Message My Sponsored Child?
All children in Forward Edge programs are eligible to be sponsored as long as they comply with behavioral standards and are still enrolled in some form of education (primary school, secondary school, vocational school, university, etc.). If your sponsored child graduates and enters the workforce, or if he or she moves away from the program, you will be notified.
Most definitely! Thank you for your interest! If you cannot afford a $38/month sponsorship, you are welcome to give any amount to our Child in Need fund. Gifts to this fund help cover costs associated with children who are not fully sponsored, new children to the program, and unexpected additional needs of the children that may arise (and they often do!).
