Sponsoring through the Kiwi Sponsorships
Philosophy of the Kiwi Sponsorships
We create direct, personal relationships between each individual child and sponsor. Unlike many other sponsorship programmes, your money does not go into a pool for the community, it goes straight towards paying school fees for your child. Once you are sponsoring a child, it is a relationship for life. We encourage sponsors and students to stay in touch long after their financial support is over – the Kiwi Sponsorships builds family ties that transcend borders.
How it works
It’s incredibly simple – each year, sponsors deposit that year’s school fees into Emma’s designated Africa Account. She transfers that money directly to Rose at KAASO who then travels to each school to pay that student’s fees. One of the most important elements of the Kiwi Sponsorships is that every cent of sponsors’ money goes straight to the sponsored child – there are no administrative fees or hidden costs along the way.
DURATION
The sponsorship commitment is between 6 and 7 years, depending on the student’s chosen field of study. Each student will complete four years of secondary school, before branching off to join a vocational course of their choice. These vocational courses run for 2 to 3 years, depending on the course. This way, students ‘graduate’ from their sponsorships with a certification, a qualification that will allow them to immediately enter the workforce and begin earning money to support themselves – and, in most cases, their families. Students can then save towards upgrading their studies further down the track. Please note that when you take on a student to sponsor, you won’t know the exact duration of the sponsorship as it will depend on which vocational course your child elects to study – we do not require students to ‘lock in’ their courses upon finishing primary school when their sponsorship commences. Therefore, we ask sponsors to be flexible and to understand that we respect the student’s right to choose their own career path, however sponsors will be consulted before any courses are finalised.
COST
There is no fixed annual cost for a sponsorship as the fees for each student vary year to year and the exact cost (and breakdown) is passed onto the sponsor at the start of each school year. However, to give a rough estimate, the annual cost of each of the four years of secondary school is approximately USD $1,000 per year. Vocational courses range in price from around USD $1,200 per year for a course like teaching or mechanics (2 years), through to around USD $2,000 per year for nursing (2.5 years). While these costs are rather substantial, they are all-encompassing and include not only school tuition and boarding fees but also all school books, uniforms, requirements, meals, basic medical, stationary – i.e. everything the child needs to live at their boarding school or vocational college for a year. It is important for sponsors to be aware that fees do change each year as we pass on the exact costs from the schools and institutions to the sponsors – there is no ‘set price’ per year for a sponsorship and it will vary depending on the vocational course chosen.
MENTORING & SUPPORT
Every step of the way, Rose, Dominic and Emma are there to guide and support the sponsored students, many of whom come from difficult backgrounds. During the year, Rose and Dominic keep in touch with the students, monitoring their progress. Teacher Gerald, the Kiwi Sponsorships Liaison at KAASO, also helps to manage the Kiwi Sponsorships programme within Uganda and visits the children throughout the year. Emma also makes regular trips back to Uganda to see the students at both their schools and in their home villages. The Kiwi Sponsorships’ mission is to not only assist students financially but also to help mentor them and support them through life’s challenges. Emma sends out reports and photos to sponsors each year, updating them on their sponsor child’s progress and outlining the exact fees for the coming year.