Dear Sponsors and Friends:
Thank you for sponsoring a child attending the Christian Academy of Las Torres!
We want this experience to be positive for you, the children and their families. The following is a list of guidelines that will help you be aware of what is and is not advisable in regard to any contact with your sponsored child. Underlying all the guidelines is the truth that people from a very poor country, the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere, will have contact with people from one of the richest nations on the planet. Naturally, there will be a temptation on both parties to consider asking for and giving small redistributions from those who have to those who have not. However, those who have experience in sponsorship advise the following:
DO Write and encourage your child. (Translators are available if you are not able to write in Spanish.) For example, find out his or her birthday and send a greeting card, you may be able to ask people who are traveling to the school from the US to take small personal cards with them.
DO Send your child a picture of you. They are as curious about us as we are about them! Just make sure the picture does not show too opulent a background: simple without expensive jewelry or furnishings is best.
DO know that sometimes a child looks very dressed up and even better off than some of us in their pictures! The children generally wear their very best for such occasions and often their clothing is donated from people of wealth, so clothing that gets there can be of high quality.
DO NOT promise anything (visits, gifts, money etc.) to the children unless you are 100% positive it will be fulfilled! Unfulfilled promises result in disappointments and a loss of trust. We are trying to encourage an independent life through an education, with Christ at the center. We do not want to create dependency or materialism. Your words of prayer and encouragement work the best!
DO NOT send gifts or money through the mail. It is unwise for us to create expectations in your child or in other children that sponsors will be giving them gifts. Many times such gifts or money can have unexpected effects on the children, making them vulnerable to thieves and gangs, which could endanger rather than help them.
DO NOT judge if they ask for more from you. We would certainly do the same in their situation. Just lovingly tell them that shipping is unreliable and that you are happy to be able to help them with the most important thing for their future...their Christian education.
DO let us know if you hear things from your child that indicates he or she might be in danger.
DO pray for your child and let them know that you are praying for them. It is important for them to know you have hopes and aspirations for their spiritual, educational, and family life. Some of these children have dealt with abuse, divorce, death, disease, multiple forms of neighborhood oppression and government corruption. They need to know there is a world outside of the one with which they are familiar.
DO know that each child's picture has a series of letters and numbers after their name, and these have significance; the first value is the childs age, the second value is a letter M or F which is the child's gender, and the third value is a number representing the childs grade. So, a 6M1 is a 6 year old male in the first grade.
DO feel free to visit Nicaragua. You may want to come with a mission group or on your own to show your love and God's love for the children. Let our team know if you plan to do so, that way we may connect you with a traveling team, or at least give you a tour of the school. We may even ask you to carry supplies to the school for our kids! Regardless, it is a visit that few walk away from unchanged!
We express our sincere gratitude to you for participating in our organizations efforts on behalf of these children.
THE VOLUNTEER TEAM WORKING FOR CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF LAS TORRES
Christian Academy of Las Torres P.O. Box 813-782 Smyrna, GA 30081 (770) 235-5849 info_calt.us
