Child SponsorshipFrequently asked questions

You can become a force for change in the lives of children and their communities for less than $1.50 a day. That’s $42 per month.

It’s completely up to you how long you choose to sponsor a child. Many of Plan’s sponsors have continued their support of children across decades.

We understand that circumstances can change; you can end your sponsorship at any time. However, we encourage sponsors to continue their support whenever possible. Seeing a child through to graduation has a profound impact – not only on that child’s future but on their entire community.

Thank you for considering joining our sponsorship program! By sponsoring a child, you’ll help make life-changing improvements for a child and their community, like supplying clean water, building health centres, and keeping children in school. And all for less than $1.50 a day!

It’s easy to sign up on our website here. You can also call us at 1-800-387-1418 and one of our Donor Care representatives will be happy to help you.

When a child is sponsored, it’s the beginning of an amazing journey that creates lasting change spanning generations. We call this the Plan Effect. Children and their communities lead the way by telling us about the positive changes they most want to see. Then we work together to make those transformations happen. This includes things like:  

• Improving health centres 
• Launching school meal programs  
• Building clean water systems  
• Helping families grow their savings so they can buy what they need most 

Through sponsorship, we build deep connections in a child’s community. Those roots then become the foundation for even more positive change: Our existing relationships in communities can attract bigger opportunities, including large-scale education and health projects, funded by partners like the Government of Canada, that can reach thousands more children! 

Children graduate from the sponsorship program when they turn 18. Children may also leave before they turn 18 for various reasons – sometimes their family moves away, or the child decides they no longer want to be sponsored. They may also live in a place experiencing a crisis or conflict that is so dangerous that it’s no longer safe for Plan to continue working there.

Even if a child leaves the sponsorship program, that doesn’t mean they have to stop participating in Plan’s activities. Because our programs benefit entire communities, all children continue to enjoy the positive changes, like access to clean water and improved health centres.

Your Child Sponsorship contributions help fund community improvements – so every child benefits. Our 85+ years of experience have taught us that the best way to create better opportunities for children is through improvements that benefit their entire community. 

We work directly with children, families and communities to understand the positive changes they most want to see. Then we work together to make those changes happen. These might include:  

• Improving health centres 
• Launching school meal programs 
• Building clean water systems 

Knowing that someone on the other side of the world cares about their well-being helps children feel inspired to keep learning – and might even help develop their writing and drawing skills!

In 2024, 83 cents of every dollar we spent went toward programming for children and their communities worldwide. We focused on improving education, health, protection from violence, humanitarian response and resilience, and youth leadership and economic empowerment. Some of these projects take place in the communities where sponsored children live.

Yes, Child Sponsorship programs really do work! When you sponsor a child, you’re not just supporting one child; you’re helping their entire community.

When we talked to children and other members of their communities for our 2024 Changing Lives report in Uganda, Bangladesh and Ecuador, we found that:  

• In Uganda, 19% more adolescents in areas where Plan works reported that they were in good health, compared with those living in similar communities where Plan does not work.
• In Bangladesh, more than 91% of adolescents in areas where Plan works know where to report harm to children, compared with 82% in places where Plan is not active.  

When a sponsorship program launches, Plan staff hold meetings in each community to explain how the program works. Then, children and their families decide if they want to join. Families often want their children to have the chance to learn about a different country, and to know that someone far away cares about their development and well-being.

For a child who participates in the sponsorship program, being linked to a sponsor helps them feel connected to the rest of the world. Receiving letters from someone on the other side of the world helps children feel inspired to keep learning!

When a crisis strikes, whether it’s a flood or an earthquake or conflict, sponsorship programs help make it possible for Plan to respond quickly. Because we’re already present and trusted in the child’s community, we can deliver the support they need, including items like clean drinking water, food, and hygiene kits with soap and menstrual pads. Our emergency response also includes programs to protect children’s safety and provide psychological support.

Communities where children are sponsored also take part in Plan’s larger efforts to rebuild after a crisis. We help the community rebuild homes if they’ve been destroyed or make schools in flood-prone areas stronger so they can endure damage next time.

We strongly encourage you to exchange letters or emails with the child you’re sponsoring. It’s a wonderful way to learn about one another and build a relationship that may last for years. Here’s how to connect:  

• Share updates about your life, family or home. 
• Protect your privacy – avoid sharing your city/town, address, email or social media info. 
• Keep notes brief and clear for easier translation. 
• Send greetings and encouragement (no cash or monetary gifts). 
• Be thoughtful about cultural differences – avoid topics like politics and religion. 

You can also create a MyPlan account at plancanada.ca/myplan, where you can write to the child you’re sponsoring, send personalized e-cards, view and download photos and updates and learn more about how you’re making a difference!   

You can email your letter to: letters@plancanada.ca or mail it to our address below and we will try our best to deliver these to the sponsored children.

Plan International Canada
245 Eglinton Ave East
Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 0B3

Yes! It’s natural to want to send something to the child you’re sponsoring. Here are some gifts you may choose to send: 

• Letters, photos, postcards, stickers or balloons 
• Writing and drawing materials like pens, paper, a pencil case and crayons 
• Learning and exploring materials like maps, small puzzles and colouring books 
• Inflatable beach balls, skipping rope or other things children can use to play with their friends 

We ask that you keep your gifts small enough to fit into a 9-by-12-inch envelope. Your package should not weigh more than 150 grams or be thicker than five centimetres. A deck of cards, for example, would weigh approximately 150 grams. Please do not send money. 

Children do usually graduate at 18, but that doesn’t mean they stop participating in Plan’s programs. Our programs are open to everyone living in the community, so your sponsored child can continue to participate.

We also run many programs specifically for young adults, with activities like job-skills training, comprehensive health education and peer mentorship. Young people don’t need to have been sponsored to join.

When sponsored children become adults, they often share their success stories, whether it’s about attending university, participating in job training or even becoming a Plan staff member.

Carlos, a former sponsored child from Colombia, became an academic and helped establish scholarships and grants for students at risk of dropping out of school in Colombia. He has spoken at the United Nations about the importance of education, and he served on Plan International’s Global Board of Directors. Read more about his extraordinary journey.

It’s natural that you want to stay in touch with them. Your privacy is tremendously important to us, as is the privacy and protection of the children we work with. This is essential for the ongoing success of the program. For this reason, we do not encourage continued contact after sponsorship ends.

Please call us at 1-800-387-1418 to update your financial information, including your credit card. One of our Donor Care representatives will be happy to help you. You can also log in to your MyPlan account and change your credit card information there.

You can change your information online, by using the Live Chat feature or by calling Donor Care at 1-800-387-1418. For anything related to payments, please contact the Donor Care team. You can also log in to your MyPlan account and change your address there.

Tax receipts for all recurring gifts with a cumulative annual total of more than $25 will be issued in February of the following year. Sending tax receipts once annually helps reduce administrative costs to ensure more of your contributions reach children in need. Only official receipts issued by Plan International Canada, either by mail or digitally, which include our business number, are valid for Canadian income tax purposes. If you make one-time donations of $25 or more, you will receive an instant tax receipt documenting this individual gift.

If you are a group member sponsoring a child, project or program, official receipts are available for individuals in the group. If you need a tax receipt before February, please contact our Donor Care team by via Live Chat, by emailing info@plancanada.ca. or by calling 1-800-387-1418.

All Plan International Canada supporters with an email address on record will receive their tax receipts electronically to help save paper and keep costs low, maximizing funds for Plan International Canada initiatives. If you want to change your preferences, please contact us via Live Chat, by emailing info@plancanada.ca or calling 1-800-387-1418. If you have more questions about tax receipts, please visit the income-tax receipts page.

Our Donor Care team is happy to answer any questions you have. Please feel free to contact us using the Live Chat feature or by emailing us at info@plancanada.ca or calling us at 1-800-387-1418 Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Your MyPlan account is your personalized giving hub. You can write letters to your sponsored child, manage how much you donate or get quick answers from our team about updating your information securely. It’s the easiest way to stay involved and see your contributions at work.