FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
All Sponsorships (Child, Daycare Classrooms, and Families)
The Hands & Feet Project Sponsorship Program is different from many sponsorship programs because of our Circle of Care model. This holistic and comprehensive model of care strives to meet the physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs of every child and family across every program within the Hands & Feet Project organization. These include: Child Sponsorships, Daycare Sponsorships, and Stronger Together Families Sponsorships. Unlike many sponsorship programs who provide only nutritional or after school education assistance, our program seeks to address the deeper needs of each child, their family and their community.
The simplest answer is that excellent care just costs more. Your sponsorship with Hands & Feet Project also goes beyond food and clothing. With multiple sponsorship spots available, we have a greater capacity to meet individualized needs, as outlined by our Circle of Care.
We are not currently offering trips due to the instability currently in Haiti. We hope to host trips again one day soon!
While we do not allow sponsors to send direct gifts to those they sponsor, we encourage you to donate to our "Celebrations Fund."
This Celebrations Fund goes towards Christmas gifts, good school grades celebrations, our annual Village Values event, graduation celebrations, Flag Day celebrations, Vacation Bible School supplies, church camp expenses, Easter celebrations, and outings for the children that include things like: going to the beach, going out to eat and tour the art district, going see waterfalls, etc.
By giving your gift donation to this fund your money goes to helping us celebrate each child well.
Child Sponsorships
The Hands & Feet Project Circle of Care (COC) is a comprehensive model that strives to meet the physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs of every child and family under our care. This model has set a standard of excellence for our teams as we approach all aspects of our work and strive to live out our mission.
Physical needs are met through: clean water, nutritional meals, ongoing medical and dental care, dignified private spaces, safe homes, and health education and training.
Emotional needs are met through: family style care, safe and nurturing environments, promotions of healthy attachments, ongoing assessments of care, regular caregiver training, and counseling and clinical services
Spiritual needs are met through: local church family, village worship, Bible training, faith-based curriculum, Vacation Bible School, Christ-centered care, discipleship, bibles, age appropriate small groups, and church camp.
Educational needs are met through: private Christian schooling, English classes, year-round tutoring, vocational skills training, transitional living programs, daycare services, and individualized education plans
Hands & Feet Project operates under the jurisdiction of Haiti’s Child Protective Services (called IBESR). Whenever Hands & Feet Project is approached by IBESR about placing a child in our care, we collaborate with their representatives to determine the best course of action for each child.
If all family and community care options are not viable, IBESR will place the child(ren) in our Residential Care Program. Here, in our Children’s Villages, we create families, where children will live, sleep, eat, and play in family homes. We only utilize our Residential Care Program as the best, last resort.
We refrain from using the word orphanage due to the stigmas associated with this word. We want to see our children thrive in a community, which is why we've chosen the word “village." We believe by cutting out the word orphanage, we can start to reframe stigmas and instead write a narrative that empowers individuals to live up to their God-given abilities. Through family-style, residential care in our Children's Villages, children are able to experience life in Christ-centered communities.
Traditional orphan care, while a cost-effective approach, often sees a child as another mouth to feed in a group of many. Typically, orphan care is visualized as institutional style care which is characterized by dorm-style housing and cafeteria style meals, for example. Our residential-style care provides a home for children on our Children's Village campus in a family unit. Community-style care provides a home for children with families in the community who have been approved by Hands & Feet Project; even though they are with families in the community, these children are still under the guardianship of Hands & Feet Project.
Both of these types of care offer a more individualized approach to orphan care, and we believe it ensures the best care for each child. Our holistic approach brings children into houses of smaller groups so that more attention and care can be given. Children under our care are encouraged to ask for their needs to be met through their caregivers in order to strengthen their relationship within their homes.
When our residential children turn 18, per Haiti’s Child Protective Services (IBESR), they are required to move off campus. In an effort to continue to support them and stay connected to them, we offer them the option to be a part of our Independent Living Program (ILP) until they turn 20 or finish school. With this, they commit to stay in school (typically Haitians have at least a couple more years of schooling after they turn 18), live with a Resident Assistant (hired by Hands & Feet Project) in an ILP house in the community, and continue to abide by Hands & Feet Project standards.
In response, Hands & Feet Project continues to pay for their schooling and any additional technical classes they’re interested in. Hands & Feet Project additionally assists these young men or women in the skills to find a job. Historically, many have come back to Hands & Feet Project to work on our campuses in a variety of roles and work at Haiti Made! This is an incredible opportunity to not only continue to be a support to them, but to also stay connected and in relationship.
When your sponsored child turns 18 and ages out of the program, you will have the opportunity to either support them in Providing Families Project (though you will no longer receive monthly updates that are specific to them) or choose to sponsor another child in our Child Sponsorship Program.
Even if your sponsored child asks to keep in touch, Hands & Feet Project cannot facilitate continued contact with children after graduation. Once a child graduates and leaves the community for further education or work, there are additional complications and they would place too great a burden on our staff to continue to translate and hand-deliver letters. Also, for your safety, we never allow your sponsored child to have your address. You could be put at risk for fraud if someone obtained your personal information.
Sponsors are welcome to send letters of encouragement and inspiration to their sponsored child/ren, but instead of a reply, each sponsor will receive two letters in the mail throughout the year from the child they sponsor. These letters will include fun articles and information the child wishes to share. With this method of correspondence, children can now share their gratitude for your support without the vulnerability of a reply letter that often takes a very long time for you, the sponsor, to receive. This method of communication will help give you a more personal connection without our children forming unhealthy attachments.
Things you can include in your letter:
- Paper dolls
- Postcards
- Pictures of you or your family
- Sports cards, individual cards (baseball, soccer, football)
- Stickers (flat, paper-based, only a few at a time)
- Paper-based simple bookmarks, stationery, drawing, or writing paper (single sheets)
- Coloring pages (single sheets, not books)
*You may send small, flat paper-based items that can fit into a standard #10 size envelope, have a value of less than $5 dollars and weigh less than 4 ounces. We ask that you send small, flat items of this size because shipping is expensive.
Advice on Letter Writing:
- Offer encouragement and scripture.
- Tell the child how you are praying for them.
- Remind the child that he/she is special, loved, smart and full of potential.
- Tell about your family and the area you live.
- Share some of the things you like to do.
- Share stories about having good character by serving others and being honest.
- Share the importance of Love, Honesty, Obedience, and Responsibility in the name of Christ. (These are core values we teach daily and celebrate at our Village Values event)
- Don't include promises of coming to see your sponsored child.
- Include who the letter is intended for on the outside of the letter.
Where to send your letters:
Hands and Feet Project, Inc.
Attn: Child Name
PO Box 682105
Franklin, TN 37068
Families Sponsorships
The Hands & Feet Project Circle of Care (COC) is a comprehensive model that strives to address the physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs of every child and family under our care. This model has set a standard of excellence for our teams as we approach all aspects of our work and strive to live out our mission.
We assess the needs of each family in our Stronger Together Program and create an individualized Circle of Care plan for each family.
Physical needs are addressed through: home repairs, house supplies, food/ nutritional support, and Physical Therapy.
Emotional needs are addressed through: problem solving for family conflict and the comfort of children in the home.
Spiritual needs are addressed through: local church family, prayer, pastoral visits, bibles, Vacation Bible School, and summer church camps.
Educational needs are addressed through: private schooling, school tuition, school supplies and uniforms, if necessary tutoring and special needs support.
In Stronger Together, we come alongside families, provide resources and social services, and focus not on one individual child, but on the family unit. These children have not been orphaned or abandoned, but are being advocated for in their own home. Our heart is to visit, assess, assist, and love each family well at every visit. Documentation is a necessity of making sure progress is being made, resources are being stewarded well, and overall keeping high accountability, but this can also feel invasive to the family unit and we want to honor those moments and respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. That makes the commitment to update monthly on specific children and families in the community challenging as an organization.
In short: We want to step back and look at the bigger picture. Our focus on the individual, family, and community is not changing. However, the way we share stories and foster relationships with those we serve has changed. We believe that by sharing a different family’s story each month, instead of a child specific update, allows the family to more effectively steward their family legacy and personal journey.
We believe the Bible and its truths. We know it is hard for someone to stand firm in their faith alone. That's why God calls us together as a body of believers so that we can help one another grow stronger together. That is what we plan to do with this model of sponsorship. Together we can help defend families against spiritual warfare and societal challenges the families in Haiti face daily. Those challenges, more often than we like to see, separate children from their families.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
- Once a month family update.
Every month you will receive an update on one of the families in this program. We believe as a supporter this will be an impactful experience to be able to hear from all of our families throughout the year, not just one.
- Two written correspondence letters from one of our “Stronger Together” families throughout the year.
- One “Let’s Connect” every year.
This is where you can select a time to connect with our Sponsorship Program Manager to ask questions about Stronger Together and give feedback, inquire about speakers for upcoming events, or learn more about becoming an ambassador for Hands & Feet Project.
Sponsors are welcome to send letters of encouragement and inspiration to the families in this program and we will include them in the Easter and Christmas gifts the family receives.
Instead of a reply, each sponsor will receive two letters in the mail throughout the year from one of the families in this program. These letters will include fun articles and information the family wishes to share. With this method of correspondence, families can now share their gratitude for your support without the vulnerability of a reply letter that often takes a very long time for you, the sponsor, to receive.
Advise on Letter Writing:
-Offer encouragement and scripture.
-Tell the Families how you are praying for them.
-Remind them they are special, loved, smart and full of potential.
-Tell about your family and the place you live.
-Share some of the things you like to do.
-Share stories about having good character by serving others and being honest.
-Share the importance of Love, Honesty, Obedience, and Responsibility in the name of Christ. (These are core values we teach at our Village Values event)
-Don't include promises of coming to see your sponsored child.
-Include what program the letter is intended for on the outside of the letter.
Where to send your letters:
Hands and Feet Project, Inc.
Attn: Stronger Together
PO Box 682105
Franklin, TN 37068
Classroom Sponsorships
When you sponsor one of our Little Hands Classrooms, you are partnering with us to help cover the monthly cost of what it takes to operate a Classroom. As a part of your sponsorship, you will receive monthly updates from one of our Daycare Administrators, which will keep you informed about all the children that attend the classroom you sponsor. We believe this will be a joyful experience to hear from everyone in the classroom you sponsor throughout the year.
- Once a Month Classroom Email Update.
Every month you will receive an email update from the Little Hands Classroom you sponsor. We believe this will be a joyful rewarding experience to hear about the greater work being done in each classroom.
- Written Correspondence.
You will receive two written correspondence letters from one of our Daycare Administrators throughout the year. Little Hands Classroom Sponsors are welcome to send letters of encouragement and inspiration to the Daycare Administrator and Teachers assigned to your sponsored classroom.
- One “Let’s Connect” Every Year.
This is where you can select a time to connect with our Sponsorship Program Manager to ask questions about the Little Hands Classroom you sponsor, give feedback, inquire about speakers for upcoming events, or learn more about becoming a Community Ambassador for Hands & Feet Project.
Little Hands Classroom Sponsors are welcome to send letters of encouragement and inspiration to the classroom they sponsor, but instead of a reply, each sponsor will receive two letters in the mail throughout the year from one of our Daycare Administrators. With this method of correspondence, we can now share their gratitude for your support without the vulnerability of a reply letter that often takes a very long time for you, the sponsor, to receive.
Advise on Letter Writing:
-Offer encouragement and Scripture.
-Tell the Daycare Administrators and Teachers how you are praying for them.
-Remind them of how important their work is and how they are changing children's lives.
-Tell about your family and the place you live.
-Share how God is moving in your life.
-Share the importance of Love, Honesty, Obedience, and Responsibility in the name of Christ (These are core values we teach through our Village Values).
-Include which classroom the letter is intended for on the outside of the letter.
Where to send your letters:
Hands and Feet Project, Inc.
Attn: Classroom Name
PO Box 682105
Franklin, TN 37068
Each classroom in our Little Hands Daycare is named after a Caribbean bird. We chose to use birds because Scripture says we are more valuable than even a bird, and yet not one is forgotten. We want these classrooms to be a representation that God has not forgotten them and He cares for them.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26.
