Sponsor a Child

It doesn’t take a fortune to change a life:

$1.34 — one day at preschool
$32 — one month of preschool
$380 — a whole year of preschool

The crèches take care of children in a way their parents aren’t able to. Parents typically earn less than $2 a day for hard physical labor. They face illness, accident, monsoon rains, crippling debt, loss of spouse, inadequate housing, a bad diet and not enough to eat. They are marginally literate at best, and most are Dalits (“Outcastes”).

Up to nine hours a day, six days a week, eleven months a year, they rely on the crèches to give their children…

Food — two nutritious meals and a snack
Safety — children aren’t on the streets or home alone
Education — a sound preschool curriculum in a Montessori-type setting
Health care — monthly monitoring by a nurse with referrals to physicians as needed
Uniforms and sandals
A childhood — the opportunity to grow and develop as children are meant to

It’s all free. The crèches give children hope for a better future–and the basic tools to achieve it.

For $32 per month or $380 a year you can give a crèche child a better future.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.

–Mahatma Gandhi

Thank you for what you do!

Please contact Help Kids India for more information: info.helpkidsindia@gmail.com

Help Kids India is an IRS registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Questions and Answers for Sponsors:

How will my monthly contribution be used?

100% of your monthly donation will go to the Betsy Elizabeth Trust and is enough to cover all of the expenses for one child for one month for school, teachers, full nutrition, health care, uniforms and shoes, and transportation. Teachers make home visits to all children on the wait list and enroll children from the poorest families to attend the creche. There is no charge for anything.

Will I be matched with a specific child?

Usually no, and the reasons are these:

Resources: Two of HKI’s crèches have 50 children, each with six staff, and our third crèche has 70, with seven staff. 1:1 matches would eat up time that staff doesn’t have. Supplies for correspondence, photos, and postage would take from other needs.
Singling out students: It’s the ethos of the crèches that all children are treated equally. Letters and little gifts for specific children run contrary to this. The crèches give all the children small presents for special occasions. When sweaters are distributed though the HKI Sweater Project it’s done only when enough are available for all a crèche’s children.
Expectations: the encouragement given by donors can be wonderful but rest assured that the expectations teachers and parents have for these children are very high. With nearly three decades of crèche history, the entire creche community sees the successes crèche children have in elementary and high school. They are completing higher grades and going on to trade schools and college at a rate far exceeding their peers. Expectations are high and the kids deliver.
Community: We hope that your relationship will be to the crèches as a whole, to all the children, and to the work of the crèches.

In special instances, yes.

An elementary school class, a youth service club, a group of cousins or siblings—children may jointly sponsor a child. In these and similar situations please contact HKI and we will gladly write a letter to the group with a photo of a crèche child and his or her story.

Can I visit the creches?

Yes! Donors are warmly welcomed. If you are considering a trip to South India we can help you make the connection. Contact HKI at info@helpkidsindia.org

As a sponsor, what is my commitment?

You may choose one year, several years, or many. It’s up to you when to withdraw. Children enter the creches at age two and start first grade the June after their fifth birthday so most are in the creches three years. It’s a good amount of time to give children the health and foundation for success.

Do I need to make a payment every month or can I do it once for the whole year?

You can set up payments whichever way best suits you. You will receive notification of your annual contribution for tax purposes in January.

Are all the children in the creches cute?

Yes. Every single one.

little girl-sponsor a child

Meet Satheesh and Angel, Crèche Children

Satheesh-sponsor a child

Satheesh is four year old. His father suffers from “giddyness” probably due to poor nutrition, and can only works occasionally, if there is work. Satheesh’s mother is a housewife but has also been sick. There are two younger siblings, not yet in school. The rainy season is difficult for this family as work is slow and their thatch house was heavily damaged recently. They moved in with neighbors but are now living in an animal barn with a cow and some goats.

When Satheesh started school at Good Shepherd he, like the rest of his family, was suffering from malnutrition. All his food now comes from the crèche and he is in good health. Regina, the crèche nurse, keeps a close eye on him and his siblings, and has taught his mother about family planning. Satheesh is a patient and kind child, well liked by his peers. His story is the same as many Good Shepherd children, notable only for the depth of the family’s poverty and his sweetness.

Angel-sponsor a child

Angel started her career at Little Lilies Preschool when she was 12 months old. The teachers were hearing a baby’s incessant crying coming from the settlement adjacent to the crèche. They went to investigate and found Angel. Her mother had died shortly after Angel was born, and her father, suffering from depression and living in poverty, knew he could never pay a daughter’s dowry. He could not care for the infant. Every day from then on staff brought the weak, underweight baby to the crèche. Mrs. Hilda, here with Angel at age 5, convinced her grandparents to take her in, with help from the crèche. Angel is seven now, in second grade, and very happy at the village school. She is a good dancer and speaker. Angel still comes to Little Lilies after school to visit and collect food for herself and her grandparents who don’t have enough to feed a growing girl and themselves. Mrs. Hilda and the staff at Little Lilies continue to provided the love and encouragement Angel needs to reach her full potential. Angel and many other children receive this emotional and material support long after they leave their crèches.

Sponsor a Child