Despite their start in life, they’re full of potential. And we’d love you to get to know them and help a child become everything they are born to be.
Tirunesh is 6 years old. She lives with her parents in a small rented house made of mud. Tirunesh likes learning English. She enjoys dodgeball and playing hide and seek. One day she'd like to drive buses.
Tamirat is 7 years old. Tamirat has had a difficult background. He lives in a rented room with his mother, step-father and siblings. He enjoys playing football and eating pasta with tomato sauce. His ambition is to become a teacher.
Sometimes it's hard to choose
If you like, we can select one of our most in need children for you.
Sisay is 5 years old. He lives with his mum in a rented room, sleeping on a grass mattress. Sisay loves playing football and his favourite toy is a car. In the future he would like to be a teacher.
Obsa is 7 years old. He is an only child and lives with his grandparents and uncles with very limited facilities and family income. Obsa loves to sing and enjoys playing a local game called ‘Hattuu fi Poolisii’. He dreams of becoming a doctor.
Temesgen is 5 years old. He has a brother and a sister and they are cared for by their mother whom was sadly widowed. Temesgen loves science. He enjoys playing football and would love to become a mechanic.
These are our kids, we are their proud parents. We love them so much and we are committed to standing by them for as long as it takes. We take care to understand and meet each child’s individual needs – from food and healthcare to loving parents and a quality education. We’re in no rush. We’re in this for the long term to help them reach their full potential.
We follow Jesus’ example, caring for children just as He would, by restoring their dignity and giving them a sense of self-worth. But we believe that faith is a personal choice – we care for children who need our help regardless of their belief, background or social status.
Read more
It’s important to us that your money really impacts your child. 92% of your donation will be used to directly provide the best care possible for your sponsored child. We’ll use the remaining 8% to facilitate the relationship with your child and support the work of Stand by Me.
We’re small enough to know each of our 4,000 children by name and large enough to provide world class care for all our children. For over 25 years we’ve encouraged sponsors to build a genuine relationship with their sponsored child as you see how your donation really does change a life.
Ahmad was living in an orphanage in Lebanon when his life was changed by his sponsor. Just over 30 years later, he’s our Executive Director.
“Growing up in Lebanon during the civil war, I have experienced firsthand many of the challenges and obstacles that our children face. The care Stand by Me offers and the quality of our child sponsorship has been shaped by what I experienced and how I endeavour to bring the same hope I received to all of our children.”
Child sponsorship is so much more than a monthly donation meeting a child’s individual needs; we believe a relationship with a sponsor is an essential part of a child’s development, self-esteem and wellbeing. Being part of a wider family will help a child know they are loved and accepted for who they are.
We’ll send you your child’s information pack in the post including their story, photo, interests and dreams. Annual progress reports, regular photos and communication from your child will keep you updated of their development.
Because we know that letters, photos and gifts from a sponsor become treasured possessions and let our children know that you care and love them, we will provide you with the tools and encourage you to exchange letters and emails with them regularly.
When you decide to be a child sponsor, it changes a child’s life. The less obvious bit is that if often changes the sponsor’s life a little too.
Miss Walshe, a teacher at Chepstow House School, sponsored Wamale after visiting Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia.
"Seeing first-hand the work of Stand by Me made me realise the huge impact that sponsorship has on a child.”
Can't find an answer to something? Email your question to hi@standby.me
Sponsoring a child is a great way for you to directly impact a child’s life. You encourage and support your sponsored child, not only financially, but by sending letters and building a personal relationship with them. Your support enables them to feel loved and part of a family. Your monthly donation will be used to provide for your child’s individual needs.
For as little as £23 per month, you can become a child sponsor and help us rescue a child in need. The costs of providing children with high quality care can vary greatly depending on the country and the needs of the children. Since our desire is to provide the best care possible, it may be necessary to allocate some of our children with more than one sponsor. £23 per month goes a long way, however, anything extra you feel able to give will be much appreciated.
It goes towards providing the best care possible for the child you sponsor. This could be to provide 24hr care in a loving family home for a child who is orphaned or without a stable family environment. For children who have a family but have no access to an education, your sponsorship money will enable them to go to our school or care centre and provide them with a quality education, committed teachers, books, pens, nutritious food and vital medical care.
Yes, we will use your money to provide the best care possible for the child you sponsor. Your money will provide their food, clothes, education, medical care and if necessary, loving parents and a family home. A minimum of 92% of your donation is spent on caring for your child. The remaining 8% is used for managing the sponsorship programme and helping us raise more sponsors.
When you sponsor, we’ll allocate you a child according to your preferences and send you their photo and background story. This helps you get to know your child and begin building a relationship from the start by sending a letter or email. We will then send you regular updates, photos and correspondence from your child.
Yes. We welcome group sponsorships. You may want to sponsor a child through your school, social club, church group, brownies, scout group or business.
In some of our projects, one sponsor contributing £23 per month is sufficient to meet a child’s needs. However, the costs of providing for a child vary greatly depending on the country and the type of care they need. Since our desire is to provide the best care possible for every child, it may be necessary to allocate some of our children with more than one sponsor.
Yes, we would love you to do so. We want every sponsor to have a great relationship with their child and we will do our best to facilitate and encourage you to write as often as you can. Our kids love to receive letters, photos and small gifts from their sponsor. These things quickly become treasured possessions and let your child know you care for them.
There are two ways to do this:
For both types of communication, please include the following information:
Please be aware that due to delays in international post and poor internet connection, you should allow up to 12 weeks for a postal response and 4 weeks for an email response.
You can send all correspondence to our England office.
Your postal correspondence will be forwarded to the child on a monthly basis.
To safeguard our children we ask you not to directly contact your child via post or social media, but to send any communication through our England office. It is our policy not to disclose your contact details to your child or the programme.
The first time you write you can introduce your family and possibly include a photo. Pets, hobbies and sports are always good topics to include.
Yes you can. We encourage you to send letters, photos and gifts that fit into an A5 size envelope via our England office. Large parcels are discouraged due to the high cost of postage, customs issues and fairness to all the children. For international post, please allow up to 12 weeks for a response.
That’s a great question! You can do that here. Or you can call us on 01708 442271 to make a card payment or you can send a cheque to our England office (made payable to Stand by Me) making it clear on the covering note what the cheque is for. Our overseas staff will then purchase a present on your behalf. We suggest an amount between £10 and £25. If you want to give more than £25 we will use the extra to provide gifts for unsponsored children.
In accordance with our child protection policy, and when possible, we facilitate the opportunity for a sponsor to meet their child. However, due to the security risks in certain countries a visit is not always possible.
We would love you to. We want to make it as simple as possible for you to communicate with your child. Please send any emails to mychild@standby.me. Please remember the internet connection can cause delays in some of our programmes, therefore we ask you allow up to 4 weeks for a response.
Every effort will be made to find the child a new sponsor.
If you would like to impact the lives of children but don’t feel that sponsoring a child is for you, then please consider making a regular donation, which enables you to sponsor a home or school. You will have the same impact without sponsoring an individual child. There are also many other ways you can get involved.
Sponsoring a home or school is a great way of impacting the lives of many children. You can do this by signing up to give a regular donation and selecting an amount and country of your choice. If you want to discuss this further, please contact Nicola on 01708 442271 or Nicola@standby.me.
You can choose the amount you wish to donate (per month) and any contribution will make an impact on many of our children’s lives.
This is a great way of supporting many children, especially children who do not have a sponsor and without the commitment of writing to them. Your regular donation will go towards meeting the monthly needs of the children at the programme (home or school), including food, clothes, medical care and the salary of the teachers or carers. We’ll make sure you receive regular updates on how your donation is having an impact.
Ask us anything. We’ve helped sponsors change 1000s of kids’ lives, and we know it can be a big decision. We’re here to help you every step of the way.
