100%  of all sponsorship money goes directly to the child’s needs. Any administration costs will be covered by unrestricted donations.

Within one month, you will receive a Welcome Kit that includes:

The sponsor can correspond with the sponsored child through letters and if the sponsors would like to send special gifts in the form of money for birthdays or holidays.

The sponsorship money you send every month enables Tender Hands to provide benefits such as education, medical and dental care, permanent shelter, nutritious meals, new clothes and recreational activities like a YMCA camp. Some of the children have special needs and may need an additional tutoring or specialists, like a speech therapists and/or counseling.

Yes, the full amount is tax-deductible.

We encourage you to write letters as it will strengthen your relationship with your sponsored child and it keeps you in closer touch of their progress. In our efforts to keep the children safe, we will monitor the letters sent to the children.

A sponsor will be allowed to meet a child only in the presence of Tender Hands staff and only at the shelter location, no private meetings such as hotel rooms or private residences will be permitted. We ask that you give us at least 60 days notice in advance.

Tender Hands does not get involved with any foreign adoptions.

Most children will be sponsored until they are 18 yrs old, however many continue with secondary school or tertiary studies and will remain under our care until they have completed their education and are able to support themselves.

It is Tender Hands policy not to inform the children directly that they have sponsors. We will present you to the children as an ‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’ that cares for them and prays for them but not that any monetary gifts and sponsorships are provided.

There are two reasons for this; the first is we are trying to teach the children independence. They don't have parents that can pay for weddings and college, so they have to strive to be independent. We have seen with other charities, that as the children get older, they just expect that someone is going to sponsor them for life or pay for everything because they have always had a sponsor. After it is too late they are often on there own and do not have the motivation or the skills to manage their life properly.

The second reason is we never want the children to treat guests or specifically foreigners differently because they are sponsored. I think most people had that aunt or grandparent that always gave them money or a special gift, you would always make sure to be ‘extra’ nice to them or ensure you greet them first. We never want our children to view people differently because they provide for their means. We want them to treat everyone the same and to never to expect money.

Tender Hands works with children that come from unstable, dysfunctional and traumatic backgrounds. In some rare cases it is possible that a parent may come back into a child’s life or a mother may re-marry and demand her child back. In these rare cases, Tender Hands policy is not to drag the child through a long court case and after as much peaceful resistance that we can manage, we will return the child back to the parent. History proves that the child is usually given to the parent and not the legal guardians in such court battles. We will keep you updated if these unfortunate circumstances were to occur.