SAO Children FAQs

About SAO Children...

About SAO Sponsorship...

About SAO Friends...

FAQs for Current SAO Sponsors...

About SAO Children

1. What does SAO stand for?
SAO stands for Share An Opportunity.  This is based on the biblical principal of taking the opportunities that God gives us to share our resources with poor people. It is an expression of the Christian gospel as we work as Jesus' hands and feet.

2. What is SAO Children?
SAO Children is a program of Baptist World Aid Australia, centred on the well-being of children, that they may have life to the full (John 10:10). SAO Children works on the concept that it takes a community to raise a child, acknowledging that the needs of the child’s family and community must be met to make lasting change for all the children in the community.

3. How does SAO Children work for vulnerable children living in poverty?
SAO Children funds are used for two types of child centred projects:

i. Projects that run community development activities focussed on addressing the needs of the community’s children and their families. These projects are aimed at making a long-lasting difference to the well-being of children, and hope for a better future for all the children in the community.  (Child partners are chosen from these projects as representatives of their community)

ii. Projects that address specific protection issues affecting children in extremely vulnerable situations, like child trafficking, child slavery and exploitation, and refugee children.

Projects are run by Christian partners. Our partners are audited and monitored to ensure the quality of their programs and to see that the funds from SAO Children as used with integrity, transparency and accountability.

The funds that you donate as a SAO Sponsor, SAO Friend or as a single gift to SAO Children, support the whole SAO Children program.

4. How can I support SAO Children?
There are three ways that you can support SAO Children...
By sponsoring a child as a SAO Sponsor, by becoming a SAO Friend, or by giving a single gift to SAO Children.

Become a SAO Sponsor at $42 per month. You will be linked with a child partner in one of the communities where SAO Children is working. You will receive letters from your child partner and will be able to write letters in return. Your contributions will go towards vital work in the child’s community to benefit all their children. This may include providing and maintaining clean water sources, improving children’s health through disease prevention programs, encouraging parents to send their children to school, improving the skills of the family to earn a better income, and other activities.

Become a SAO Sponsor now!                                    
More information about SAO Sponsorship

Become a SAO Friend from just $25 per month. As a SAO Friend, you will be supporting the work of SAO Children in building communities to better nurture and protect their children. You will also support work with some vulnerable groups of children, like refugee children or children who have been trafficked or are forced to work in the sex industry. You will receive:

• A profile card about how children are being assisted in one of our SAO Children communties
• Information about the work of SAO Children overseas
• Information about how you can do more for children in poverty by: Listening to God’s word, Consuming Ethically, Speaking out on behalf of vulnerable children, Giving Generously and Praying for children in poverty.

($25 is a minimum monthly amount. There is no maximum monthly amount)

Become a SAO Friend now!
More information about SAO Friends

5. How much money goes overseas? How much money is used to cover costs in Australia?
As an organisation we are committed to seeing at least 80% of funds go overseas and will continue to minimise our costs here in Australia by working with volunteers who generously give their time to help the ministry. To find out about volunteer opportunities click here.

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About SAO Sponsorship

1. As a SAO Sponsor, how does my support help the child I sponsor?
Your sponsorship supports the community development activities that benefit the child partner with whom you are connected and their family. This support allows the child’s whole community to have the opportunity to take part in training and other activities to improve their community and to help families lift themselves out of poverty.

2. How long do SAO Children programs run?
Generally, SAO Children programs will run for a period of ten years. In the second year of the program, child partners will be selected by a nominated committee of community members, partner staff and parents. All child partners will spend at least five years in the program and will leave the program either when they reach adulthood or when the program concludes in the area. Some child partners may leave the program earlier if circumstances change, for example, their family may move to a different region.

The last three years of each program will focus on building the knowledge and skills of the community to continue to provide for and nurture the development of their children and young people without input from the partner staff. When the partner organisation is able to move away, it is a good sign that the project has made a real difference. In most cases when a child leaves the program, we automatically link the SAO Sponsor with a new child partner unless they have informed us to the contrary.

3. Do child partners go to school?
Not all child partners will go to school, but promoting education and its value is a part of many SAO Children programs.

Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals means that school is now free in many of the countries where we work. In line with this change in the global context, our program focus has also shifted. SAO Children assesses and responds to the gaps in children’s development — whether it is the quality of primary education, causes of high drop-out rates, or the need for early childhood activities or vocational training.

Our experience has taught us that children’s development requires many forms of learning, including formal and non-formal education from early childhood through to adolescence. At all stages, it is important that children develop life skills to improve their future opportunities.

The communities themselves determine what is lacking in the lives of their children, and through SAO Children, our Christian partners will help communities address these issues.

4. What about spiritual outcomes?
Baptist World Aid Australia believes that the best and most appropriate way to spread the gospel in our work is by our local Christian partners engaging with communities and serving them through the program activities.

In many countries where we operate, Christians are a minority and child partners are often from non-Christian families or other faiths. Our partners show Jesus’ love in practical ways and build relationships within the community, creating a long term basis for dialogue and the sharing of faith.

We also encourage the ministry of local churches who are best positioned to engage in contextual ministry and sharing of the gospel.

In line with our ‘no strings attached’ policy, child partners are not chosen on the basis of their religion, nor are they required to attend church, Sunday school, or other Christian activities in order to participate in the program. SAO Children funds are not used for evangelism activities.

5. How are child partners chosen?
Child partners are selected by their community as representatives of the program and play a role in communicating the positive changes that are happening for them, their family and community. Each child partner is linked with only one SAO Sponsor.

A community selection committee is formed to ensure the child partners chosen are from among the most needy and those most likely to benefit from the community development activities.  Local school teachers, health workers, village elders and church representatives know their community best and are able to ensure a fair process is followed in selection of child partners.  In line with the Convention of the Rights of the Child, non-discrimination is a key principle in selection of child partners who must not be excluded on the basis of their political, religious, or ethnic group or because of disability.

6. Does the child receive any money?
No money goes directly to child partners, or their families. It may be tempting to rush in and try to provide everything they lack, but giving money directly to children or their families only solves their problems for the short term, and produces long-term dependence. When the program ends, the family is left virtually unchanged, and they will struggle without the hand-out they have come to rely on.

The funds for SAO Children go towards long term transformation of families and communities so that all the children in the community can thrive. Whilst no money goes directly to the child, our experience has shown that the best way to help the child is to help their family and their community to gain the resources, knowledge and skills to provide for and protect children.

7. Why doesn’t the child receive any money?
There are a number of reasons why the child partner, or their family, does not receive any money:

• Families can start to rely on the cash ‘hand-out’ rather than seek ways to increase their income. 
• If the program ends or pulls out of the area for any reason, the parents have no way to make up for the lost hand-out. They are left unchanged and will continue to struggle, adding further strain to family and community relationships.
• Handouts can also lead to jealousy between family members and neighbours. 
• If parents or families are given money directly, our partners will have no control how that money is spent, and it may not always be for the benefit of the child.

By supporting a community and its children through development activities rather than cash hand-outs, your contributions to SAO Children can make an enormous difference to lives of many children in the community, not just one. And as a SAO Sponsor you will receive letters from your child partner and other reports that will show how this is happening in their community.

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About SAO Friend

1. As a SAO Friend, how does my support help children living in poverty?
SAO Friends give regular support to the work of SAO Children. SAO Children funds are used for two types of child centred projects, which are run by local, Christian partner organisations:

• Projects that run community development activities focussed on addressing the needs of the community’s children and their families. These projects are aimed at making a long-lasting difference to the well being of children, and hope for a better future for all the children in the community. 
• Projects that address specific protection issues affecting children in extremely vulnerable situations, like child trafficking, child slavery and exploitation, and refugee children.
  

2. How much does SAO Friend cost?
SAO Friends starts from just $25 a month. Or you can give more if you are able!

3. What will I receive as a SAO Friend?

• A profile card about what is happening to benefit the children in one community group
• Information about the work of SAO Children overseas
• More information about how you can do more for children in poverty by Listening to God’s word, Consuming Ethically, Speaking out on behalf of vulnerable children, Giving Generously and Praying for children in poverty.
• Regular updates on how SAO Children is working to benefit children in poverty, including  trip reports from Baptist World Aid Australia staff.

4. Will I receive a link with a child partner or community group?
SAO Friends are not linked with a child partner or a community group. If you would like a link with a child partner, you might like to become a SAO Sponsor. We do not have any programs that link donors with community groups. However, if you are interested in supporting community development work, please see Commit to Community.

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FAQs for Current SAO Sponsors

1. How will my SAO Sponsorship support be used?
The funds that you donate as a SAO Sponsor support the whole SAO Children program.

SAO Children funds are used for two types of child centred projects, which are run by local Christian partners:

• Projects that run community development activities focussed on addressing the needs of the community’s children and their families. These projects are aimed at making a long-lasting difference to the well being of children, and hope for a better future for all the children in the community.  (Note: Child partners are chosen from these projects as representatives of their community)

• Projects that address specific protection issues affecting children in extremely vulnerable situations, like child trafficking, child slavery and exploitation, and refugee children.

Your SAO Sponsorship is important as it provides a stable and reliable income for us to be able to plan ahead to help further develop the SAO Children program. Through SAO Children, we hope to impact even more children living in poverty.

2. Will existing child partners remain in the program?
The move to SAO Children will not change the way your sponsorship works. You will still enjoy the personal relationship with your child partner through sending and receiving letters – learning about their life, and the difference your support makes. But SAO Children will make your donations more effective – addressing the root causes of child poverty in their community. 

The funds will also be used to assist our partners in transitioning to the new model of SAO Children, and begin new partnerships.  As most of our partners will transition to SAO Children, most child partners will leave the program they reach 18 years of age or when the program concludes in the area. As our programs are focussed on empowering communities and families, as well as the well-being of the children in the communities, when a program concludes in a community, it is a good sign that the project has made a real difference.
Some children may leave the program earlier if circumstances change, for example, their family may move to a different region.

About the increase to the cost of SAO Sponsorship.

3. Why are you increasing the cost of sponsorship?
We are currently committed to building our current partnerships and developing new ones, so that we can impact the lives of even more children in the communities we work.

Increasing the rate of sponsorship helps us:
• Cover the increasing costs of running the programs overseas
• Improve the impact of our sponsorship programs
• Invest in establishing new projects in different areas.

4. I can’t afford sponsorship at the new rate. Can I stay at the old rate?
We understand that the rate increase might make it difficult for you, and it is sad that sponsorship becomes a financial burden for some people.

However, the rate increase reflects the real costs associated with running the sponsorship program. Unfortunately, we do need to increase the rate for all SAO Sponsors to make it cost-effective, and we cannot make any exceptions.

We understand that you have a heart for children. There are other options available to you, should you wish to continue to make a difference in the lives of children in poverty through SAO Children. You can stay at the rate you are currently giving and become a SAO Friend.

As a SAO Friend, you will be supporting the work of SAO Children in building communities to better benefit their children, plus work that is happening in some of the vulnerable groups of children, like refugee children, or children who have been or are at risk of being trafficked, or children forced to work in the sex industry.

You will receive:
• A profile card about what is happening in to benefit the children in one community group
• Information about the work of SAO Children overseas
• More information about how you can do more for children in poverty by Listening to God’s word, Consuming Ethically, Speaking out on behalf of vulnerable children, Giving Generously and Praying for children in poverty.

SAO Friends are not linked to a specific child or family, but can be assured that their support will make a considerable impact to the lives of many children. 

Become a SAO Friend now

5. If I cannot continue my sponsorship, what will happen to my child partner?
You child partner will remain in the SAO Children program, and Baptist World Aid Australia will link your child partner with another sponsor as soon as possible.

6. Can I keep writing to my child partner if I can no longer sponsor?
Unfortunately, you will not be able to write to your child partner once you are no longer a sponsor. We will link your child partner with another sponsor as soon as possible. However, if you would like to send a farewell letter of encouragement we will forward it. Please do this as soon as possible after you cease to be a sponsor (in the next week or so).

7. Will there be future rises in the cost of sponsorship?
Unfortunately, we cannot rule out further increases to the sponsorship rate. However, we will always consider a number of factors when increasing rates, including the actual costs of the program, exchange rates, and the time elapsed since the last rate increase.

8. How much money goes overseas? How much money is used to cover in Australia costs?
As an organisation we are committed to seeing at least 80% of funds go overseas and will continue to minimise our costs here in Australia by working with volunteers who generously give their time to help the ministry.

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