Yes, you are welcome to send additional gifts to your child, however there are some limitations to what you can send. Please follow the following guidelines:

You can send a gift at any time. Most sponsors like to send special gifts on birthdays and Christmas. We ask that you follow the gift guidelines here with regard to minimum/maximum amounts.

We ask that you do not send more than $50/year in additional gifts beyond your monthly child sponsorship. You may send a $25 birthday gift and a $25 general gift (or Christmas gift) .

A minimum gift amount of $10 per special gift is required.

The reason that we place a maximum amount on gifts is because many of the families live on less than $5/day USD. We restrict the size of monetary gifts to avoid creating opportunities for dependence, and to avoid fostering jealousy within the community, which could place a child and his or her family at risk.

100% of all special gifts go directly to your child. No administrative fees are withheld from special gifts.

We can only accept monetary gifts. Your donation will be used to purchase a gift for your child in their home country.

Delivery and customs systems prohibit us from delivering packages to your sponsored child. Items that are not flat, not made of paper, or are larger than 8" x 11" and 1/8" thick can be delayed in customs for weeks. Further, the risk of theft or loss of a package en route is high, and the duty charged by foreign governments often exceeds the value of the package.

Please remember to include your child's ID# and name on your check and the purpose of the gift (e.g. birthday, Christmas, etc.) so that we can communicate that to your sponsored child.

You can send up to $300/year as a special gift to your child's family. These gifts can help provide income-generating opportunities the family can use to help support themselves and ultimately be released from poverty.

Family gifts can be used to purchase livestock and household equipment or to establish a small business.

No, you do not have to give gifts to your child or his family. A gift is truly that - a gift. Gifts are a way to help strengthen the relationship between you and your child, but are not required.