Response
H4KI FAQ
CHILD SPONSORSHIP FAQ
Here are some of our most frequently asked sponsorship questions:
One dollar a day provides your child’s basic necessities, school tuition and emergency healthcare. Children in our program are also eligible to receive a new mattress, blanket, treated mosquito net, backpack, school supplies, school uniform, clothing and shoes. Sponsor a child now! Our field staff works with the children and communities to identify and address health and wellness issues with the hope of restoring children physically, mentally and spiritually.
Difference Maker Plus is an additional $9 a month on top of the standard $31 monthly sponsorship fee. This additional cost furthers our mission by providing for the urgent needs of our kids such as medicine, surgeries and extra meals required.
Other options include new school uniforms, shoes, mosquito nets, additional school supplies, blankets, mattresses and coats.
H4KI currently sponsors children in Uganda, Kenya, Romania, Guatemala, Cuba, and the Philippines.
You can create an account on our website to change your credit card information. Also, we are always happy to help you if you call our office by telephone, 623-979-5516, or you can e-mail your request to sponsor@hope4kidsinternational.org and we will make the changes you request.
Please be aware that your sponsorship will automatically renew each year using the same form of payment unless we are otherwise notified. All recurring cards are charged on the fifteenth of each month; please notify H4KI of any changes to your account by the tenth. Your donation is tax deductible as permitted by law.
Teenage children are the hardest to place in sponsorship. Many teenagers have been in our sponsorship program since they were young, however, for various reasons, find themselves without sponsors. Most new sponsors are interested in sponsoring young children they can nurture and watch grow; unfortunately, this leaves a gap for our teenaged children. If you are interested in sponsoring an older child please click sponsor a child for more information.
Previously we distributed birthday gifts quarterly and we would remind you with an email or phone call. But what we found is that this system put a lot of stress on our already busy staff and field staff. Additionally, it is costly to travel to purchase the gifts multiple times per year. By creating this simple online system, sponsors can now choose when it is most convenient to donate for their child’s gift and have the option of spreading the cost over the year!
It’s simple! Click My Account at the top of the page to Log In to your account and follow these directions:
- Select Special Gifts from left-hand menu
- Select receiving child under drop down on the left
- Select relative giving option from dropdown on the right
- Choose amount or enter gift amount
- Add gift to your basket and select another child from the drop down or checkout!
You will notice that you can only give gifts to children in the following countries, Uganda, Kenya, Guatemala, and the Philippines. If you have children in Romania or Cuba, we will be unable to give your child a gift due to the relational tensions it causes between and within families.
You can give between $25 – $100 per gift/year or sign up to donate $5 monthly and save up for a $60 gift per year. Donations for gifts for the current year must be given by June 1st of that year. Any gifts given after this date, will be kept aside for gifts for the following giving year.
Our field officers help to determine what a child needs and they ask the child what they would like and work to meet both desires. Many times, this may be something needed for shelter or perhaps shoes for your child.
Once a country has their birthday celebration day, photos will be taken of your child and their gift. Additionally, thank you notes will be written and then sent to us from the field officers. We will then mail you the photo and letter.
Yes, but we have set guidelines we allow. Please feel free to include a small item along with your letter that can fit into the envelope. Acceptable items include: a bookmark, stickers, coloring page, friendship bracelet, etc. However, we are not able to accept large items because of the high cost of carrying packages from the United States. If you would like to financially provide for your child to receive a gift, call us directly at 623-979-5516 and we will be happy to discuss the available options. If you would like to donate to the Hope 4 Kids Children’s Fund, your child will receive a gift that is specific to his or her need.
Definitely! Tom Eggum, Founder & President, believes that the one child to one sponsor relationship is meaningful and can strengthen the bond for a lifetime. There are few exceptions to this rule (if your child needs to enter boarding school or higher education), but you will always be informed and be presented with options
Keep your letters simple and write about things your child will understand. Good starter topics include: your family, community, hobbies and any special customs you and your family share. We encourage you to send a picture of your family to the child you have chosen to sponsor. Receiving correspondence from you will encourage your child and make them feel valued and loved. Since most of our children have a limited understanding of English, please print or type your letters (this will simplify translation, if necessary). Mail or email your letters and photos directly to Hope 4 Kids International, PO Box 74010, Phoenix, AZ 85087, or sponsor@h4ki.org. Please be sure to include your child’s name and number in your correspondence and on the bottom left corner of the envelope.
Remember that your child lives in a very poor community. For this reason, avoid writing about the differences that will highlight the vast disparity between your life and their own. Do not suggest that your child visit the United States or ask your child what he or she would like to receive as a gift. Never include any personal information such as your address, phone number or email. For your safety and the safety of the children in our program, please do not contact your child on social media. All correspondence to and from your child needs to go through the Hope 4 Kids International office.
The reason we require all correspondence go through our office versus having you send letters directly to the children is because it is our policy to read all letters before they are delivered to the kids. Our primary focus must remain the safety of our sponsored children. Additionally, if you were to mail correspondence directly to the kids, there is no guarantee they would ever receive the letters. Once we receive your correspondence, a member of the Hope 4 Kids International staff will hand-deliver the letter to the child or children you sponsor.
Your $31 monthly sponsorship covers your child’s basic necessities, supplies, and healthcare. Boarding School provides your child’s boarding school fees (including room and board, 24 hour care of your child, three meals each day, sleeping accommodations and full time supervision in a family-like environment).
Yes, we encourage you to share your child’s photo and basic information on social media. However, disclosing detailed personal information, violates the children’s privacy law. Please be mindful when posting any information about children in our program.
W4KI FAQ
Here are some of our most frequently asked water questions:
For a donation of $10,150, W4KI can provide fresh, safe drinking water to thousands of people in East Africa or Central India. For as little as $1 per villager, an entire community can be saved from dysentery for 30 to 50 years.
Water 4 Kids International (W4KI) reaches out to the poorest communities in Uganda, India and the Philippines that are suffering from the lack of safe water by providing long-term access to clean water through life-saving deep water wells, rain harvesting and water filtration projects. In addition, W4KI equips and trains recipient villages to maintain their water projects for years to come in order to provide the greatest impact within their community. W4KI also monitors existing wells to make sure they are open and fully functioning, while offering them an opportunity to learn about The Gospel, proper hygiene and basic sanitation.
Through natural relationships and on-the-ground research, villages are submitted to our NGO office for consideration. It is only after a Water 4 Kid’s project manager visits the village, verifies the current water source and determines that the village qualifies to be in our program, will they be considered for a borehole in the community.
Since 2007, Water 4 Kids has drilled over 700 wells throughout Uganda, Kenya, India, Rwanda, Liberia, The Philippines and Bangladesh.
With proper education and maintenance, boreholes are designed to last 30-50 years. Our community involvement practices will make the difference if a borehole will last a year and a half or decades with our W4KI program.
With proper education and maintenance, boreholes are designed to last 30-50 years. Our community involvement practices will make the difference if a borehole will last a year and a half or decades with our W4KI program.
Everyone is welcome to drink from our wells regardless of race, religion or tribe. Children are especially encouraged to drink often from the wells that can help ward off preventable and treatable diseases.
Currently, Water 4 Kids International is drilling wells in Uganda, India and the Philippines.
TRIP FAQ
Here are some of our most frequently asked travel questions:
We invite anyone (15 years old and older if traveling without a parent) to travel with us. Team members younger than 15 years old may travel with supervision. Team members come from all backgrounds and with varied experience. We regularly have trained medical and dental personnel, construction workers, farmers, teachers, pastors, social workers, students, and homemakers travel with us on our short-term mission trips. Specialized training is welcomed, but not necessary. If you care about kids in need, you qualify.
Founding President Tom Eggum leads most international trips (schedule permitting), as he has for over 40 years. Tom, or another member of our informed and well-trained leadership team, will be there to ensure your trip runs smoothly as you experience an unforgettable journey.
Our teams typically stay in local, comfortable accommodations in or near the areas we serve. This gives team members a relaxed atmosphere where they can decompress and be well rested for the next day’s work. Trip fees include double-occupancy hotel accommodations; however, single room accommodations are available for an additional fee.
Team members have the opportunity to try some local foods, as well as some familiar dishes like spaghetti, chicken, fish, and french fries. We encourage all team members to pack snacks from home for long days when we are serving far from our home base! Your trip fees include your daily meals and bottled water. However, if you follow a strict diet or have food allergies please pack additional snacks to supplement meals. Hotels and restaurants in developing nations are not always set up to accommodate many different food preferences.
We recommend making an appointment with your personal physician and/or local travel clinic to determine which vaccinations you’ll want or need for your trip.
You can also find out what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for your destination at cdc.gov. Select “Traveler’s Health,” then “Destinations,” and from the drop-down list pick your destination country.
There are several factors that affect overages. If you have a qualifying overage, H4KI’s Teams Department will contact you to discuss your options. Please contact us with any questions about our overage policy.
Daily transport to outreaches, room and board, outreach participation costs, and bottled water are included in your trip fees. Airfare to your destination country, any necessary visas, vaccinations, optional excursions, and souvenirs are not included in your trip fees.
Yes, please apply for a passport as soon as you decide to volunteer with us on an international mission trip. Please be sure you renew your passport if it has less than six months of validity left from the conclusion of your trip and be sure that it has at least three blank visa pages. If you need to apply for a visa, the H4KI Teams Department will notify you after you apply. If you have more questions about passports and visas, particularly if you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, please contact us.
Yes! We recommend choosing one or two items from the options below:
- Clothing such as socks, underwear, a sundress (must fall below the knees), shorts (drawstring), shoes or flip flops
- School supplies
- Hygiene items such as a toothbrush or toothpaste
We are required to collect excursion money separately. This is legally required to cover all of the costs for the excursion including lodging, transport, food, entrance fees, and other excursion costs. Otherwise, it would nullify the tax deductibility of the rest of the mission trip.
There is always a certain amount of risk when traveling internationally; however, in all our years leading teams, we have never had an incident that endangered anyone. Our team on the ground is constantly monitoring any situation that arises, and we take every precaution to protect our teams from undue risk.
Hope 4 Kids International strives to offer team members the opportunity for a deeper, more well-rounded experience with the community through different service opportunities. Depending on the destination, there may be opportunities for you to assist in a construction outreach, medical/dental outreaches, Vacation Bible Schools, a safe water well dedication, a spiritual/health/leadership class or conference, local celebrations, and women’s outreaches. You may want to spend time visiting schools, playing with kids, or helping deliver life-saving provisions. Painting or construction projects are available most days. Each day will be full of activities and opportunities for you to use your gifts and talents, as well as build relationships with the community.
Team members typically come from all over North America, but anybody is welcome to join us. International team members may join us in our destination city. Our teams are made up of individuals, church groups, friends, and families. All are welcome!
Depending on the freedom given in our host nation, we take whatever opportunity we have through speaking, drama, and music to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we always have the opportunity to demonstrate the example of Jesus Christ through our actions by serving the people we meet.
Thank you for your support of our mission! Aside from serving on a mission trip, you can sponsor a child, raise money for safe water wells, collect supplies for us to take on future trips, and more! Please contact us to find out how you can bring dignity, health, joy, and love to children around the world who are affected by extreme poverty and disease.
One way your family can check on the status of the team is to call the H4KI home office in Phoenix, Arizona at 623-979-5516. H4KI’s main office is usually in daily communication with the team, and can tell you the general location of the group and what they’re doing at any time. Before you depart on your mission trip, you will be notified of more emergency contact information specific to your trip.
If possible, the H4KI staff will update our Facebook page during the trip. This is a great way for your family to follow you on your trip.
Unfortunately, Internet access in some of the countries where we serve is sporadic at best. Please assure your family that we’ll do our best to keep our Facebook page updated, but let them know it will be difficult to communicate via Internet during the trip.
In an emergency, a team leader can assist you in contacting your friends and family from abroad.
We recommend applying just as soon as you’re ready to commit to a trip. If this is your first time volunteering with us, please apply three to four months before your departure date. This ensues your space on a team and helps us with planning and reserving hotel rooms. Unless otherwise noted, the deadline to apply is one month before the trip and trip fees are also due one month before the trip. If you apply early, we can help you set up an online fundraising page so your friends and family can donate towards the cost of your trip.
When you are ready, you can apply here on our website. At the top of the page, select “Choose Your Trip!”, you’ll be asked to select which country you are serving in, enter your personal information first, then select which trip dates you are applying for. Please contact us with any questions you have!
Yes! After you apply, you are automatically connected to your fundraising page for the trip. Any donations made will go directly toward your trip fees balance, a $50 donation is $50 towards your trip fees. You can add a photo and your story about why you are serving, then you can easily share your fundraising page through email or social media, and donors are issued a receipt for tax purposes. We can also add an estimate amount to help you fundraise for the cost of your flight, if you’d like! Please reach out to us with any questions!
At Hope 4 Kids International, we strive to restore hope to kids and families around the world by empowering them to break the cycle of extreme poverty. We are blessed to have an amazing NGO staff and ministry partners in Uganda, as well as long standing partners around the world. On each mission trip, we serve alongside our local partners at their ministries, and in Uganda, also through our NGO programs. We are grateful to have local staff and partners so that our short-term mission trips can support long-term development projects. We are grateful for the relationships God has blessed us with and the opportunity to be a voice for the poor.
COVID-19 CRISIS RELIEF FAQ
Check here for update-to-date answers to your most urgent questions:
- We continue to provide hope in all the countries that we currently serve. However, in accordance to government recommendations and regulations in each of the countries, all the schools are currently closed. This doesn’t mean that our work stopped.
- Our field officers are doing their best to visit all the children at home as often as possible. We have been able to deliver food, hygiene kits, in some countries we also included seeds to help during this time of crisis. As you can image, the countries that we serve are not equipped to handle such a life-threatening outbreak. Our field staff is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of all children and communities we serve.
- While the schools may be closed, that doesn’t mean that the children are not being taken care of or that they are not benefiting from the program.
- We are using some of the funds for the home visits. We are also delivering food, hygiene supplies, seeds in some areas as well as educating the children and their families in ways to prevent being affected by the Coronavirus. As soon as the schools reopen, we need to be financially ready to get all the children back at school to resume their studies.
- We continue to provide hope in all the countries that we currently serve. However, in accordance to government recommendations and regulations in each of the countries, all the schools are currently closed. This doesn’t mean that our work stopped.
- Our field officers are doing their best to visit all the children at home as often as possible. We have been able to deliver food, hygiene kits, in some countries we also included seeds to help during this time of crisis. As you can image, the countries that we serve are not equipped to handle such a life-threatening outbreak. Our field staff is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of all children and communities we serve.
- While the schools may be closed, that doesn’t mean that the children are not being taken care of or that they are not benefiting from the program.
- We are using some of the funds for the home visits. We are also delivering food, hygiene supplies, seeds in some areas as well as educating the children and their families in ways to prevent being affected by the Coronavirus. As soon as the schools reopen, we need to be financially ready to get all the children back at school to resume their studies.
You may donate towards a birthday gift for your child via your sponsorship portal. All donations for the current year must be received by no later than June 1st. Any birthday donations received after this date will be applied to the following year birthday donations. Please note we do not accept birthday donations for children in Cuba or Romania as this causes relational friction within the community.
Although this global pandemic has affected us all, our first priority is the safety of the children we serve and our NGO staff in Uganda. While the shelter-in-place orders are still in place for Uganda, our staff is still operating at home communicating daily with our US office. Additionally, our NGO staff has received special permission from district government authorities to continue delivering food, seeds, soap and other necessary provisions to our sponsored children and partner villages.
Currently, all of our outstanding well drilling project are in Uganda, Africa. Due to the country’s shelter-in-place orders, all of the drilling, installation and well openings have been suspended until the national mandate has been lifted. Once those orders have been revoked our WASH programs will immediately commence.
- While food and other much needed provisions are being delivered to our sponsored children, our WASH team has been conducting health talks to the children and their families to reinforce social distancing, vital hygiene and sanitation practices.
- Also, W4KI is conducting live health talks on East FM radio that broadcasts Uganda in four different languages (English, Swahili, Japadhola, and Ateso) throughout western Kenya and all throughout eastern Uganda. More instruction and sensitization was given on social distancing at the borehole, the importance of strong hygiene and sanitation precautionary measures, as well as using homemade mask coverings.
Yes! Thank you for your concern and support. H4KI has set up a COVID-19 Crisis relief fund to relieve some of the pressures children and families are experiencing during this pandemic. Your generous support to the COVID Crisis Relief Fund is being shared with our trusted ministry partners around the world who are on the front lines serving the children and communities we support.
Although this global pandemic has affected us all, our first priority is the safety of the children we serve and our NGO staff in Uganda. While the shelter-in-place orders are still in place for Uganda, our staff is still operating at home communicating daily with our US office. Additionally, our NGO staff has received special permission from district government authorities to continue delivering food, seeds, soap and other necessary provisions to our sponsored children and partner villages.
Currently, all of our outstanding well drilling project are in Uganda, Africa. Due to the country’s shelter-in-place orders, all of the drilling, installation and well openings have been suspended until the national mandate has been lifted. Once those orders have been revoked our WASH programs will immediately commence.
- While food and other much needed provisions are being delivered to our sponsored children, our WASH team has been conducting health talks to the children and their families to reinforce social distancing, vital hygiene and sanitation practices.
- Also, W4KI is conducting live health talks on East FM radio that broadcasts Uganda in four different languages (English, Swahili, Japadhola and Ateso throughout western Kenya and all throughout eastern Uganda. More instruction and sensitization was given on social distancing at the borehole, the importance of strong hygiene and sanitation precautionary measures, as well as using homemade mask coverings.
Yes! Thank you for your concern and support. H4KI has set up a COVID-19 Crisis relief fund to relieve some of the pressures children and families are experiencing during this pandemic. Your generous support to the COVID Crisis Relief Fund is being shared with our trusted ministry partners around the world who are on the front lines serving the children and communities we support.
