In Reply to: school sponsorship posted by frazzledfozzle on Thursday, 27. December 2007 at 12:37 Bali Time:
Hi Frazz
Sponsoring a child is designed to provide a child with an education that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to receive. It is not the norm for sponsors to do anything above the sponsorship payment. Unfortunately many on this forum and others have taken it to the extreme with purchasing gifts etc. This has obviously meant others may feel they cannot provide the same as others do. As a sponsor you are not expected to do anything more than support their education by way of your annual sponsorship payment. Others who are providing expensive gifts etc need to realise the precedence they are inadvertly setting for others by doing so and the potential damage they are causing to these projects. You do not have to feel bad if you cannot compete with the actions of others as it is not expected and by sponsoring a child you a giving them far more than they expect or could wish for. I have many sponsors (as do the other projects) who have never visited their sponsor child or given anything above the annual sponsorship payment. I am the project co-ordinator for Educated Smiles Project which is a Bali sponsorship project run by the Gawler Light Rotary Club in SA and in conjunction with the Bali Sanur Rotary Club. You can visit our website at www.gawlerlightrotary.org.au and click on the Educated Smiles Project link at the top of the page. Alternatively feel free to email me direct by clicking on my name in blue and removing the no-spam and I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Jacqui