Your Questions Answered
What are the objectives of our
Sponsorship Program?
Sponsorship is a direct way for VNCAP to help the
Center maintain and improve the children's facilities and life in general and
ensure that the children have an upbringing as normal as possible, with useful
skills for a productive life.
As you can imagine, the work at the Center is never finished. There will always be more children that are abandoned, needing a home, an education, guidance and most of all love. Things that we invariably take for granted.
Who sponsors?
Our sponsors come from all walks of
life. At present, our Sponsorship Program is most popular in the
United States. However, our database does boast sponsors from 10
different countries. Now, with the help of the Internet, we will
be able to increase the awareness of our program in our existing
markets and hopefully even further a field.
What are the benefits of the
Sponsorship Program?
The benefits of our sponsorship
Program are two fold. While all our sponsors help support the
work of the Center, providing the children with a loving
environment and an education, they in turn also have the added
pleasure in building a personal relationship with their sponsored
child(ren), if they so wish. This relationship is one of the most
satisfying aspects of our Program "Helping to sponsor a
child". It means a great deal to these children to know that
they are special to people miles away.
Who can you sponsor?
Our aim is to find sponsorships for the young adult
students with disabilities at the VNCAP
Vocational Center and the Center itself.
If you have a specific request regarding the child you wish to sponsor, we will do our best to meet this. However, even though all of the children are in need of support, some of them have a greater need of sponsors than others, and we therefore like to be as free as possible when allocating children to those who enquire.
How long is the sponsorship
period?
There is no minimum period set for
sponsors. Each year all sponsors are given the choice of whether
they wish to renew their sponsorship.
We do hope however, that our sponsors' support will be long term, as this helps the Center to plan their finances more effectively and implement projects which will be of direct benefit to all the children at the Center.
What happens if you cannot
continue your sponsorship?
We appreciate the special effort
that our sponsors are making in the present economic climate and
understand when, through financial reasons or other changes in
circumstances, they are forced to withdraw from their
sponsorship. In such situations, support is maintained by us
until new sponsors can be found.
How can you donate or pay your
sponsorship fee?
Regular monthly or annual payments
can be made either by sending a check / postal order, by credit
card or by standing order. We arrange standing orders for
residents of the U.S., Please contact us for the necessary forms.
Can you covenant your donation?
Yes, you should if you are a US tax payer. By completing
a Deed of Covenant form provided by us on request, The VNCAP
Center Trust can increase the value of your sponsorship by approximately one
third at no extra cost to you whatsoever.
Can you write to your
sponsored child(ren)?
Yes, we do encourage our sponsors to
build a relationship with their sponsored child(ren).
However, we do ask our sponsors to send their letters and cards to us in our Salem, Oregon office, as all correspondence has to be translated into Vietnamese by one of our volunteers. All letters and cards should be clearly labeled with your full name and reference number.
All sponsors cards and letters are signed to the deaf children and read to the blind children.
Will your sponsored child(ren)
have the opportunity to communicate with you?
Yes. Volunteers assist all the
children with drawings and letters, just like any parent would
help their child. The older children will write their own
letters. However, the deaf children dictate them to volunteers
and the blind children write in Braille, which is then
translated.
The young students at the Vocational Center all learn English as a compulsory part of their graduate course, therefore they like to write to their sponsors in English.
Can you send money or gifts?
You can send a check or postal order for birthday
and Christmas presents to the VNCAP . We recommend a maximum of USD$100. All money given
by sponsors for birthdays is put into a "Communal Birthday Party Fund"
and once a month, a party is held for those children who have a birthday that
month and each child receives a present. VNCAP will likewise put your money towards buying a suitable
Christmas present for the children.
All the children for both Christmas and birthdays are asked to write down three things that they would like as a present. VNCAP then chooses one of these items and buys it as a surprise. This way each child gets exactly what they want.
We advise against sponsors sending gifts, as this can cause a great deal of distress amongst the other children who do not receive presents from their sponsors.
When do the children have to
leave the Center?
There is no age limit when the
children have to leave. The Center is their home and, as in most
families, children leave when they feel they are old enough and
capable of living on their own without parental guidance.
Remember, however, that in many cases the blind and deaf children do have parents, but they are extremely poor. They stay at the Center to complete their education program and then move on. The young adults with disabilities complete their graduate course at the Vocational Center and then look for employment.
Can I visit the Center?
Yes. Sponsors are encouraged to
visit the Center. Just call our Salem, Oregon office and we will help with your travel
plans by giving you the benefit of our experience and answer any
questions that you may have.
We do in fact organize three trips to the Center in January, July and November. If you would like further details, please contact the Salem, Oregon office and we will be pleased to send you more details.
Can a group or society of
people jointly help to sponsor a child?
Yes. We have many joint sponsors
from schools, churches, commercial organizations and friends.
Unfortunately though, in the case of groups, the sponsorship
contributions cannot be Covenanted.
Can you leave a legacy to your sponsored child?
VNCAP has asked us to encourage sponsors who wish
a specific child/person to be included in their Will, to actually name the VNCAP for general charitable purposes instead. This will
ensure that all the children will benefit. The needs of the Center vary from
year to year and specific requests as to where the money should be spent may
prevent more important projects at the Center from being completed.
Details of how to leave a legacy to the Trust are available on request.
Fill in our Donations form and help sponsor a child today!