Through Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation’s sponsorship program, you have the unique opportunity to develop a supportive, personal relationship with a remarkable Afghan girl, allowing you to appreciate, and participate in, her academic and personal growth and success. Know that your support is tangibly, sustainably, changing lives — and the world we share — for the better.
Based on feedback from sponsors in early 2017, we made improvements to the program to provide you a more personal, interactive, and rewarding sponsorship experience. As a sponsor, you are now able to correspond directly with your sponsored student — and she can respond personally, in English. This two-way communication is a powerful way to develop a meaningful relationship with your student that may change her life, as well as your own. You will also receive regular, personalized updates from our program staff. We hope you’ll be pleased with our improved sponsorship program and look forward to your feedback.
The information here will help you enjoy and fully participate in your sponsorship. You can download a PDF version here.
Letter-Writing Guidelines
We enthusiastically encourage sponsors to write to their sponsored students. Your letters give your student an opportunity to practice reading and writing in English within a meaningful, richly personal context — while building cultural bridges between her community and yours. If you elect not to write to your student, you will still receive three personal letters during your sponsorship year.
Do ask your student about her life, but avoid asking excessively invasive personal questions.
Specific Suggestions
Ask open-ended questions, such as:
Share information about yourself, such as:
Feel free to include a personal photo or two with your letters. While maintaining a positive tone, don’t be afraid to tell your sponsored student about your life's ups and downs! She will celebrate your successes.
Encourage your student:
When writing to your student, short, simple messages are best. Your student has only begun to learn English; short sentences and simple words are easier to translate and understand. Avoid slang expressions, contractions, and complex syntax. Please type or neatly handwrite your letters in print; our students are unable to read cursive.
Above all, bear in mind that your student is young, vulnerable, and lives in a culture that is quite different from yours. Ensure that your letters are friendly, positive, and encouraging. Avoid sharing overly personal information that might make her uncomfortable.
If you learn of a natural event occurring in Kabul province or the district of Deh’Subz (earthquake, drought) that may have affected your student, you can ask her about it. While we will notify you directly if anyone connected to our schools was affected by any such event, your student will appreciate knowing that you are concerned. That said, for political and safety concerns, avoid overtly addressing terrorism, the Taliban, ISIS, and the Afghan government.
Topics to avoid:
To protect the privacy of all parties, we do not allow students and sponsors to exchange personal contact information, including e-mail addresses, home addresses, and telephone numbers. For more information about privacy, see our Child Protection Policy below.
Contact us if you have any questions about what may or may not be appropriate in your communication.
After reading through our guidelines (above), write a hard-copy letter to your student.
Sponsorship Coordinator
Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation
PO Box 81052
Wellesley, MA 02481
Communication between students and sponsors meaningfully enhances the sponsorship experience for both sender and recipient. Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation is pleased to facilitate this important connection between our supporters and the students we serve. To ensure our students’ safety, Razia’s Ray of Hope maintains programmatic safeguards that protect against abuse and exploitation. These protections include the following:
For our students’ protection, any breach of this policy will result in immediate termination of the sponsorship relationship and the pursuit of any necessary legal action.
Thank you for helping to keep our students safe by respecting our Child Protection Policy.
When you share your sponsorship with the world, you help us promote our sponsorship program—and our organization—with a growing audience. We appreciate any online support you’d like to share!
On the date that your sponsorship cycle expires (one year from your initial enrollment), your sponsorship will renew automatically. As always, you may cancel your sponsorship at any time.
We particularly appreciate credit card enrollment and renewal as opposed to payments by check, as credit cards are a more efficient way to support your student.
If you have any questions about your sponsorship or the information outlined in this Sponsorship Guide, please contact:
Kate Harrigan
Sponsorship Coordinator
kate.harrigan@raziasrayofhope.org
781-431-7894
Thank you!
The award-winning children’s book Razia’s Ray of Hope: One Girl’s Dream of an Education is based on Razia’s own story. Learn more and buy the book here.
