What changes should I expect to the sponsorship experience due to the coronavirus?

Your sponsorship experience will begin a little differently than it typically would.

• Photos – as a sponsor, you receive a photo of your child each year, which you will still receive in your welcome kit. However, due to community centers being closed, a new photo of your child may be delayed, since photos are usually taken at the centers. We continue to look at adjustments to our processes so we can send updates to our sponsors.
• Letters – as a sponsor, you can expect to receive a welcome letter, and then one to two letters from your child each year. But because we can’t collect letters safely at this time, you should expect significant delays of letters, including your welcome letter you would normally receive.
• Your letters – we  encourage sponsors to write to their children, but for now, there will be a delay in delivering letters to your sponsored child. Currently, the only letters we can process are ones written through MyCI. When you write a letter through MyCI, your letter will be transferred electronically to your child’s field office. If your child’s family has a phone, a staff member will either digitally forward it to your child’s family or call and read it to them. Note: If the family is not able to communicate digitally, we will try to find a way to deliver it and keep the lines of communication open whenever possible. We know how disappointing this is for our sponsors and children, and hope you won't let that disappointment overshadow how important sponsorship is for providing critical needs at this time.

Just remember — the support of sponsorship is so important right now. It’s a scary time for all of us, and finding a new friend can be such a source of hope, especially for a child in poverty.