Sending Gifts to your sponsored children in Haiti and Honduras

Please know that we do not require sponsors to send gifts. Your commitment to sponsor a child is the most important thing that you can do, but if you are blessed and want to share those blessings with these needy children in Haiti and Honduras then give them what goes the farthest and what makes the biggest difference and that is money or purchasing rice through Lifeline.

As the children come for their gifts it is very easy to spot "the poorest of poor". Signs of malnutrition jump right out at you...red hair, sunken eyes, skinny little bodies, and no smiles. And these are the kiddies getting food once a day in our schools! Times are tough here; prices continue to sky rocket and eating mud pies is not an urban legend!  Please, consider sending money for your children for Christmas, and then send vitamins, canned meats, peanut butter, and nutritious snacks. Also dried beans (red beans are a favorite), rice, and powdered milk should be added to your list if you are buying gifts too.

General Gift Information:

• Gift deadlines: January, April, July (Christmas gift deadline) and October.  You have the entire month to send your gifts. 

• You must include a $5.00 per package fee to cover the shipping and that will provide for gifts that will fit in a shoe box (measuring guideline); if you send more than one shoe-box sized package, increase the shipping fee proportionately.

• There is no limit on number of packages per child so long as the shipping fee contribution is enclosed.

• Do not gift wrap your packages since all gifts are opened, inspected and repacked.

• All correspondence, photographs, gifts and extra money for a child must be sent through Lifeline’s office.  Sponsors cannot mail anything directly to your child in Haiti or Honduras.

• Send/pay for and order everything at the same time (packages, money, correspondence/cards, shipping fee, purchases of Bibles and rice/food, beds, etc.), according to the quarterly deadline months

• The sponsor must first initiate correspondence with their child by sending a letter or card to the child via Lifeline.  Lifeline staff will translate letters to your child’s language and have the child then dictate or write a reply (usually with help of the child’s parent).  The reply is translated into English and mailed to you from Lifeline.

• Please include the following on each package/communication:

  1.       Your child’s complete name

  2.       School ID number (found on the photo card)

  3.       Your sponsor name

  4.       Your account number

• Do NOT include your return address or phone number INSIDE the package. 

• Do NOT put cash or checks inside the package.  All financial gifts should be sent in the Lifeline provided payment envelopes, but the payment envelope CAN be taped to the outside of the package so that everything is sent at once.

• For more information on items and prices you can purchase for your children through Lifeline, see list below.

• If you need help remembering what gifts you have already sent to your child, contact Erma at Lovelink@Lifeline.org and she can look up in your child's gift records what items you may have purchased through Lifeline in the past.

Additional information for the July Christmas gift deadline:

• Although the gifts to Haiti and Honduras are not distributed at the same time, we "close" the Christmas gift deadline in time to get everything packaged, boxed, labeled and shipped for Christmas. (gifts are shipped via container to Haiti and Honduras)  Our U.S. staff typically spend about 100 extra man hours of work in preparing for this special gift distribution.

• The Honduras gifts will be distributed in October; Haiti gifts in January.

• Remember that we need time to actually make beds in Haiti, purchase food baskets, mattresses, Bibles, etc. so it's important to do your best in getting your gifts and orders to us in July.

• Would you consider sending extra cash for a not-sponsored child?  If you do this, we give that child donated pantry gifts and the money you send. 

Lastly, we want to thank you again for your faithful support of these needy children. Please prayerfully consider some others way you can help your child if you want to do more than just provide the sponsorship for those life-changing blessings provided through Lifeline:

• Pray daily for Christ's blessings and for them to remain healthy and safe.

• Send extra money quarterly for your child and their family.

• Beds, Bibles 101 story books, rice, food baskets, etc  (see list below)

• Build them a home (Haiti only).

If you have questions don't hesitate to email Lovelink@Lifeline.org or phone 614-794-0108.