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HI, I was wondering if the children who graduate from the program, have some kind of workshops or classes that help them to transition from being a sponsored child to no longer having that kind of assistance. The children, for example, have that support of yearly gifts at special occassions, and especially if they have been int he program a long time, they look forward to these. I am asking because a former CI child and I became friends on FB and as we communicated, she began to say how much she missed having a sponsor and indicated that she still needed support. She eventually asked if I could provide her with some material items to help in school, but I had to tell that I couldn't. If I had the funds I would. She seems to be a very studious student and a very sweet young lady. But I was just wondering how much the graduating students are prepared in realizing that they will no longer have the support that they use to have. She talked about missing the communication with her sponsor so much and it must be very hard to no longer have this, especially if the relationship has been a strong one.

CI or debbie could answear this best

We know how difficult it can be for sponsors and sponsored children to lose the communication with each other. This is why we encourage all graduating youth to write a final letter to their sponsor, and then send their letter with the graduation packet in which we encourage the sponsor to write a letter to the graduated child. And of course, if the child leaving the program is 18+ sponsors can include their direct contact info.

As far as preparing the youth to graduate from the program, well it's like graduating from high school. You know you're going to graduate and what they take with them and carry thru life all depends on how much they choose to participate in the program and how supportive their family is.

Kids who commit to the program and participate in everything they can, like those who commit to their education, will be better prepared than those who only use the program to receive special occasion material benefits.

Well, I got some of the answers already...Debbie answered before I hit the "post" button, very quick service. I post it anyway...

This is a very important question. The poverty or the needs do not just disappear because you turn 19 (I wish it did) and children who has been sponsored for many years are getting used to the support and benefits, (even gifts 4 times a year as a minimum! Another thing I like about CI!)

I hope they get prepared in a way before they reach the age limit. I have not any kids who has graduated, I just know from here that you are allowed to share your address with the sponsored child when she/he graduates. I am not sure how it works. Do you ask for permission to share your address or does the "graduation-letter-mail-or what it is" tell you that you can share the informations? It seems that the girl you mention does not have any contact with her former sponsor even if she wants to. I would be the luckiest and happiest person if any of our sponsored kids would keep in touch after the graduation, but maybe the sponsor didn't know that they could stay in contact? Maybe the sponsor is not able to or don't want to continue the relationsship, of course, but that just sounds strange to me, especially if the sponsorship was long-term and the child and the sponsor had a good communication (when she says she misses it there must have been one)

Thank you for taking up the subject, Shana, I am looking forward to get more informations.

The letter in the graduation packet offers sponsors the opportunity to write a letter and if a sponsor wants to share their address they can - but the letter does not specifically state that you can include your address. We don't include it because we don't want to offer something that may not materialize -- the child/family may never write back.

And of course, there is always the language barrier if both child and sponsor don't speak/read/write the same language. Or lack of of mail service in the more rural areas we serve (think India), as well as the lack of internet service.

For example, I spoke with a sponsor yesterday who is providing for his former child's college education. We provided him with the school info and the child's direct contact info.

The youth lives in the DR, neither speak the others' language, so he was not sure how to get letters translated except by using google translate. Well, as you can guess the letter did not make a lot of sense and he called to ask what he should do about getting an accurate translation.

The child also told him she was on FB and being an older gentleman he does not have and did not know what the youth meant by Facebook. **sigh**

Another situation occurred recently when a former sponsored child who is now 32 and a nurse -- married to a doctor! -- contacted me via private message on FB and wanted to write to her sponsor to let him know what her life is like now.

The sponsor is still on file and is a great supporter. Of course, I wrote to him right away and asked permission to share his address. It's been 3 months and we've heard nothing from him.

Which does not mean he's not a good sponsor or does not care, it just means he's like a lot of sponsors - they are happy to help, want the best for their sponsored child and write to the child and provide SNG, but when the child graduates they are just as happy to help another child have the same advantages they provided for the former child.

You know, Shana is the former child you are friends with would contact me via private message on CI's FB page, I could see if I can make the arrangments for her to keep in contact with her former sponsor.

My first child will be graduating in January, and I think he has taken very good advantage of what CI can offer in the way of preparation for life beyond sponsorship. He will be completing a vocational program and receiving a certification "degree" through one of CI's programs so that he will have a skill to help him gain employment as he transitions into adulthood.

I hope that Jonathan has picked up some computer skills so that he will be able to email me or connect through Facebook after he graduates. I'm giving him an android tablet so he can pick up free wi-fi where available (if anywhere!). Thank goodness for modern technology. 20 years ago I lost contact with a boy who I was unofficially sponsoring in Pakistan, because I had no way to communicate with him after my grandmother moved back to the States.

As for the language barrier problem ... I get all of my letters translated before I send them (to save work for the local staff) and I use a website called www.odesk.com. There, I found and hired a college student in Mexico to do all my translation work for letters, photo book captions, etc. I pay him by the hour (over twice his advertised rate, just to be fair), but he is so fast that it often costs less than a dollar for each letter. Right now, I have him translating a series of comic books so I can determine if they are appropriate for children (it looks iffy). If it turns out that Jonathan is able to send me FB messages or emails, I will copy/paste over to my Mexico guy for a more accurate translation than the Internet can provide.

I hope all my kids will stay with it until they graduate and then stay in touch. They know they're gonna get postcards...

Thanks for mentioning oDesk, MackyMack. Tanusri speaks Bengali, and although she is several years away from graduating I have pondered the idea of how I would be able to find a translator to keep in touch with her - assuming she wants to keep in touch. Good to know this resource is there. I took a peak and did find a few Bengali/English translators.

My sponsored girl from Columbia, Yaselis, graduated from the CI program a bit early last year to attend a nuring program. I think she called it a "nursing auxiliary" program, so I am not exactly sure what that means - if it is a regular nuring program or nurse's assistant program. Either way, I am hopeful she will learn some skills to be able to get a job and support herself, and be able to live a better lifestyle than what she had growing up. I think the CI support helped Yaselis by enabling her to finish her basic education. I don't really know what, if any, other CI programs she participated in. I am encouraged by the fact that she seems to be moving on with her education. That was not something I was financially able to help with, but clearly Yaselis had the academic preparation and motivation to move up to the next level.

In my final letter to Yaselis last year, I did give her my contact information, but haven't heard from her. Maybe she just wants to move on, or perhaps she had already left for school and my letter never reached her. I had mentioned to her that she could write in Spanish since I know several people who would help me translate it, so I am quietly wishing that one day I will receive a message from her telling me how things are going in her life.

I have developed very close ties with my two graduates in Guatemala and Colombia. We use Facebook and communicate every day. It's been extremely rewarding for both sides. I'm directly committed to their advanced educations and their family's welfare. And, at times, it seems that I know more about each of the family members than do the other family members. For me, it's been wonderful. They are my second families.

That all said, I would caution that it's a very intense thing to adopt a family. You feel responsible for their physical and psychological welfare, the same as your own family members. And you are soon on a friendship basis with their entire family. To some degree their extended family. It's a lot. And it's hard to draw lines on things that you wouldn't even question for your own family member (clother, food, education, medical.) If you're not ready for that, I would stick with letters and not give them your Facebook or email addresses. On the other hand, your kids probably already know your Facebook address. On Facebook, you are easily located anywhere in the world. It seems every teenager in the world has a Facebook page and knows how to find people.

all very interesting,, thanks

That is an interesting point, John. To be able to keep helping the families I have now, I'd have to not sponsor new kids to replace the graduating ones. As of now, I'm hoping to pick up younger siblings so I can still keep in touch with and help the whole family that way. I'm curious to see how meeting the children and families alters things.

I think that it's the sponsors of grduating students who need the preparation. CI does a lot to distance the sponsor from the day to day realities of the sponsored families. That's gone after graduation. Without the CI filter, you are invited to live virtually with the family. The impact you can have on that one family is tremendous. You can help fulfill the promise that CI can only suggest. But it's much more consuming than sponsorship.