Home Sponsor A Child Support Centre Resources For Sponsors Give a special gift

Give a Special Gift

You’re already doing so much for your sponsored child through your generous monthly support. But maybe you yearn to do something extra. Something wonderful! That’s what Special Gifts are all about.

A Special Gift donation of $100 or more empowers your sponsored child and their family to select gifts that will bring about real and lasting change in their lives. It might be a new school uniform, a bicycle, or a goat that will provide milk and cheese for years to come!

Plus, you’ll be able to see the joy your gift unlocks when you receive a thank you letter from your sponsored child and photo of the gifts in the mail a few months later. We don’t call them “special” for nothing!
 
Upcoming changes to Special Gifts in 2019

Starting this April, 25 per cent of your Special Gift donation, and any amount over the first $200, will go towards a community gift or activity that benefits all the children in the community—including your sponsored child!

For more information about these upcoming changes to Special Gifts, see the FAQ below or call us at 1-866-595-5550.


 

World Vision Volunteer high fiving a little boy a job well done, smiling

Send a gift with ease

Login or create a My World Vision account to send your Special Gift today.

See what your gift has meant

Your sponsored child will send you a personal thank you letter and photo of them with the items your Special Gift has purchased.

 

Have your questions answered

Scroll down to learn more. You’ll be amazed to know the difference a Special Gift can make in your child’s life!

Encourage your sponsored child today with a Special Gift.​

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely! Birthdays are important times for children in developing countries, just as they are here in Canada. Be sure to give a Special Gift well in advance of your sponsored child’s birthday, so our staff can make the arrangements. Christmas is another good option!

We ask that you limit your generosity to one Special Gift per child that you sponsor each calendar year. It’s a treat for staff to help sponsored children and their families select and purchase the gift – but it does take quite a bit of time. Rest assured, the memory of even one Special Gift will stay with your child a very long time! 
 

If you sponsor more than one child, you’re most welcome to give a Special Gift to each child, once a calendar year. This would celebrate your sponsored children, while still empowering field staff to focus primarily on programming that offers maximum benefit to the whole community!

 
When you give a Special Gift, you do something wonderful. You offer a child the power to participate in a decision. In families that are struggling financially, money goes toward essentials. Clothes are usually hand-me-downs. School supplies are often just out of reach, as are toys and games. Your child will help choose the gift, along with his or her family.
That’s the really fun part! World Vision staff spend time with your sponsored child and family, listening carefully and discussing options. Imagine counting down to the day they receive the Special Gift! It’s an experience your sponsored child will never forget.

Due to the remote location of many of our sponsor-supported communities, please allow for at least six months after making your Special Gift donation to receive your thank you letter and photo.

It’s hard to sum up in words. Many sponsored children have never yearned for a musical instrument, because such a thing was impossible. Others have never known the feeling of putting on a school uniform that fits. Just imagine their joy and wonder in having this dream come true! 
Starting in April 2019, 25 per cent of your Special Gift donation, and any amount over the first $200, will go towards a community gift or activity that benefits all the children in the community, such as new school supplies or playground equipment. The exception to this rule is China and Georgia, where 100 per cent of your Special Gift donation will continue to be used to benefit the community, regardless of the amount you give.

Your gift helps provide something the community’s children may never otherwise receive. Playground equipment, for instance, or a group birthday party for all children! Special Gifts also help provide critical items like agricultural tools, building supplies, or a water tank. Your gift might also support a local school or clinic.

Purchasing gifts in your sponsored child’s own community brings business to local merchants. They’re working hard to support their children, grow their businesses and hire more workers. Buying locally is a great way to support the work we’re doing together, through sponsorship.

Helping children and families choose and purchase the items they need most is a joy for our staff. But it can take a fair bit of time, in communities with a great many needs. The $100 minimum ensures that the Special Gift provides real and lasting value to the child, their family—and starting in April 2019—the entire community.

There’s no limit! But it’s important to note that starting in April 2019, 25 per cent of each gift under $200 and all amounts over $200 will go towards a community gift. For a community that’s been waiting for a water tank, or equipment for a medical clinic, these larger gifts can be a wonderful blessing.

Lebanon is the only country we have sponsorship programs in that is unable to process Special Gifts.

Yes, you will. You’ll also receive a wonderful picture of your sponsored child with her new purchases. One will go in your files. The other will very likely go on your fridge!

Yes you can, through your regular sponsorship correspondence. Small, inexpensive gifts can be mailed to your child’s World Vision country office, to be opened with surprise and delight by your sponsored child! Here’s how you do it.