FAQ - Nicaragua

Q. What does the “Urgent” label mean on the "Child in Need" page? A. Generally this means the child has a dire health situation, where the need for assistance may be even greater than that of some of the other children in the program. This "Urgent" label is designated by our pastor in Nicaragua.
Q. When are the sponsorship fees due? A. The sponsorship fees are due before the end of the month and you may pay ahead. You will receive a statement showing your sponsorship pledge for the remainder of the calendar year, when you start in January.
Q. My sponsored child is not on the website. Have they left the program? A. No. Once a child has been sponsored, we will mark them as "Sponsored" on the website. After a few more weeks the photo is removed to make it easier for the remaining children to be seen and chosen for sponsorship.
Q. How often does His Hands for Nicaragua update the children in the program? A. His Hands for Nicaragua sends a team approximately every 12 months and approximately two months after the trip, sponsors should have their updated information, which includes photos and new information.
Q. Is it possible for me to join one of the His Hands for Nicaragua teams, so I can visit my sponsored child? A. Yes. There is an application process for those who are interested in joining one of our teams. If you are interested in applying for one of our teams, please contact us at info@hishandsfornicaragua.org.
Q. Can I send money to my sponsored child? A. You may send a financial gift to your child through His Hands for Nicaragua. Please let us know how you would like the money to be spent, so we can let the pastors in Nicaragua know.
Q. What happens if my child leaves the program for some reason? A. When a child is no longer in the program, we will assign another child to you unless you specifically let us know which child you would like to sponsor. We will do our best to match you with a child of the same gender and age as the child that you had.
Q. Currently I am not in a position to be able to sponsor a child. Are there other ways I can help the children in the Nicaragua program? A. First, if you would really like to sponsor, but just don't know how you could afford to do so, consider whether some small changes might help make it possible for you to sponsor. Most of us could make some very small changes in our spending habits and "find" $25 each month we could use to help support a child. You can also make one-time donations instead of the regular monthly support necessary to sponsor a child/senior. If you would like to do this, please visit our Donate page. Also, if you shop on Amazon, you can go to smile.amazon.com, designate His Hands Support Ministries as your charity of choice, and a small portion of your purchase will go to us. But if it is really not possible for you to do any of this, then we do have some alternate suggestions. Most importantly, please pray for the children, the seniors, the pastors, the volunteers, and the program administrators of His Hands Support Ministries. Pray that God will continue to meet all their needs and provide a way for more support to come in. Second, please consider sharing this need with your friends and family. In our experience, word-of-mouth is the best way for new sponsors to be found. Please consider sharing our website on your social media pages or even while waiting in the checkout line at the store. We appreciate any help you can give!
Q. Can I write to my sponsored child? A. Please be aware that it is not possible at this time for packages or letters to be sent to Nicaragua due to the high customs fees our partner would incur in Nicaragua. Before our team trips to Nicaragua, you may send a letter or flat envelope to the team leader and it will be taken to Nicaragua and hand-delivered to your sponsored child and/or their parent(s). You should also be aware that you should not expect to receive return correspondence from them. Most of them would be unable to write back and their parents are just trying to survive so we do not ask them to write back to you. They may choose to do so and if they do we will deliver it to you but please do not expect to receive anything from them. Please also be aware that, in the interest of safety both for our sponsors and for the children, direct communication outside the parameters of our program is strictly forbidden and the sponsorship will come to an immediate end if it is discovered by our administrators or our partners in Nicaragua. This includes letters and/or packages, e-mails, Facebook or any other social media, and telephone communication of any kind (either voice calls or text).