Love in Motion USA encourages you to write to the child you sponsor to learn more about them and their families. Your words motivate and encourage the student as they study, learn, and grow.
What should I write about?
Your family: children, parents, siblings, cousins, etc.
List their names and ages
Share age appropriate stories about your family
Hobbies, activities, or sports you enjoy
Your own childhood (include some favorite memories or funny stories)
Your job, or if you’re a student, what you’re learning
Describe where you live, the climate, interesting facts about your city or state
How can I encourage my sponsored child?
Tell them you’re thankful for them and explain why
Let them know you care for them and their future
Encourage their character by promoting kindness, peace, and love
Encourage them to live a productive and purposeful life
Encourage them to serve their communities
Express your pride in their accomplishments
Reiterate the importance of education
Encourage them to invest time into their studies and to do well in school
Encourage them to respect and honor their elders
As Christian, how can I share my faith and encourage my sponsored child’s faith?
Talk about your relationship with Jesus
Remind them that there is hope in Jesus for their future
Ask if they have prayer requests and share your own
Remind the student that you pray specifically for them
Talk about your own faith journey
Tell them that Jesus cares deeply for them and encourage them to seek Him
Encourage them to pray and read their Bible everyday
Share the importance of the church body
Share Bible verses (include notecards with some of your favorite verses that the student can keep)
What can I include in my letter(s)?
Artwork (yours, your child’s or grandchild’s)
Photos of your family! Be sure they don’t include overt expressions of material wealth (large homes, boats, etc.) or attire that may seem immodest (such as bathing suits)
A world map (mark where you live and where the student lives)
Stickers
What questions should I ask my sponsored child?
What is your favorite subject in school?
What are you learning at church and at school?
What are some of your favorite Bible verses and/or Bible stories?
What are your prayer requests?
What do you like to do outside of school (favorite sports or games)?
What are your parents’/guardians’ and siblings’ names?
What chores do you have at home?
What is your favorite food?
What do you want to do after you complete school?
What should I avoid in my letter(s)?
There are topics that might make the student feel uncomfortable or create unintentional expectations. Please avoid the following:
Sharing personal contact information
Do not share your phone number, email, or address.
Do not connect with your student via social media platforms. (This helps us protect both you and the students from inappropriate or confusing situations. Students sign an agreement upon registration and can be removed from our program for violating this policy.)
Making any promises
Circumstances often change unexpectedly and we do not have control over every aspect of life. Do not make a verbal/written commitment you may not be able to keep (e.g. promising future support, visiting them in the future, paying for their post-secondary education).
Suggesting they visit you or the United States someday
The student needs your educational sponsorship because they live in extreme material poverty; always practice sensitivity by not focusing on materials things.
Using slang or colloquialisms that are difficult to translate or understand
Describing pets as family members (animals are not viewed with the same level of affection in Africa as in the U.S.)
What does my sponsored child receive through in my sponsorship?
Your sponsorship is changing the life of a child in Burundi and Uganda. Because of your support, the child you sponsor will receive an education, school uniform and materials, and medical assistance. In addition, children in our program attend monthly Community resource Center where they enjoy a meal, play games, hear the Gospel, and write letters to their sponsors. Sponsored children also attend a Christian camp in their region each year.
Is my sponsored child real or is just representative a child in need?
You are sponsoring a real child, and they appreciate your sponsorship of their education. Sponsors are invited and encouraged to visit their children and their families in Burundi and Uganda through a team trip with Love in Motion USA.
Can I correspond with my sponsored child?
Love in Motion USA absolutely encourages you to write to your sponsored child! You can expect to receive an annual update letter from your sponsored child at the end of every summer, as well as a Christmas photo card in December. However, if you write to your child, they will write more often.
When will my sponsored child write a letters?
Sponsored children write letters at community resource center, which take place once a month in each community. You can expect to receive an annual update letter from your sponsored child at the end of every summer, as well as a Christmas photo card in December. If you write to your sponsored child more, you will hear from them more often. For guidance in communicating with your sponsored child, please review our writing tips.
How do I find out the answer to a specific question about my sponsored child?
Love in Motion USA encourages you to write letters to your child and ask direct questions. For guidance in communicating with your sponsored child, please review our writing tips.
Can I connect with my sponsored child via email or social media?
No. Love in Motion USA only facilitates communication between sponsors and students through letter writing. Please do not connect with your child through social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. This helps us protect both you and students from inappropriate or confusing situations. Students sign an agreement upon registration and can be removed from our program for violating this policy.
From the moment I order an online gift, how long is it until my sponsored child receives it?
It takes a month or so for your child to receive their online gift; gift distribution generally happens at community resources center, which take place once a month in each community. However, for children attending boarding school it may take 2-3 months for the child to have the opportunity to come to community resource center to receive their gift.
How do I know what my sponsored child needs by looking online?
All of the gifts available for you to purchase for your child have been carefully selected by the Love in Motion staffs in Uganda or in Burundi as something each child needs or would benefit from. For more specific information, we encourage you to ask your child about his or her needs in a letter.
Is there a limit to the amount of food I can order for my child?
Yes. You may give the “food for a month” gift only twice per year per sponsored child. Our goal is to help Burundian and Ugandan families without hurting. In other words, Love in Motion USA wants to protect parental dignity and avoid creating dependency. We are grateful when sponsors come alongside families in Burundi and Uganda with a gift of food, but we do not want families to become dependent on those gifts.
Can I sponsor the siblings of my sponsored child?
No. Our policy is to sponsor one student per family in order to spread the gift of education further throughout the communities in which we operate, to protect parental dignity, and to avoid creating dependency. Our colleagues in Uganda and Burundi let us know if there are special cases that require exceptions, though this doesn’t happen frequently.
Love in Motion USA does encourage you to ask your sponsored child about their siblings and pray for them. In Burundi and in Uganda culture, especially for families experiencing material poverty, people are much more open to sharing their possessions than we tend to be in the U.S. Keep in mind that gifts sent to your sponsored child will inevitably be shared with their siblings, cousins, or neighbors.
How does the staff of Love in Motion USA in Uganda and in Burundi work with U.S. Staff?
Love in Motion staff in Burundi &Uganda and in the United States have a close working relationship. We communicate regularly and staff from each country visit the other routinely. The U.S. office exists to raise funds and generate engagement and enthusiasm by supporting donors and sponsors well in the United States, in order to fund and promote the ministries in Burundi and in Uganda