Displaying photos of your sponsored child

Starting the journey of sponsorship is an exciting experience, and sponsors are encouraged to share it with their friends and loved ones. They are welcome to display photos of their sponsored child at home or in their personal workspace, but only include the following basic details: first name, age, and country, to highlight their involvement in supporting a child in need.
It is important to remember that the detailed profile of the sponsored child is provided to inform the sponsor about the sponsorship relationship and should not be shared or distributed.

Online publishing and emailing photos of your sponsored child
Emailing and publishing photos and personal information of sponsored children online create risks to their privacy, dignity, and personal safety. Sponsors are asked not to place their sponsored child's photo and/or personal information (age, last name, geographical location, health, or other) on any website (internet or intranet) or email it to others.

Downloading images
We take potential misuse of child photographs on the web very seriously. It is critical that children and their families must be assured that Amrita-Seattle is protecting the integrity of the information about themselves that they have given us, including photographs. Privacy also demands that children, their families and communities be shielded from any potential inappropriate contact from sponsors or others.
Hence Amrita-Seattle does not allow downloading, copying, or replicating photos or other information relating to children and their communities from our web site or any social media pages without our prior written permission.
Amrita-Seattle monitors the web for inappropriate use of these images and we're committed to pursuing legal action to stopping their misuse.

 

 

​

 

Children have the right to be completely secure from the fear or reality of any potential abuse (either physical or emotional) resulting from inappropriate contact by a sponsor or any other person. As sponsors proceed in their sponsorship journey, they will notice that only limited information about the sponsored children is released.

E-mails, Visits and Calls
By agreeing to become a sponsor, you consent to refrain from contacting your sponsored child, their family, or community members in any way not pre-approved in writing by Amrita-Seattle. This includes phone calls, emails, or unannounced visits to the child's home or community, which are prohibited without written permission and supervision from Amrita-Seattle.

Planned Visits
You are invited to visit the child you sponsor and meet their family. To arrange a visit, please send a written request to contact@AmritaSeattle.onmicrosoft.com at least 2 weeks in advance. We will be happy to organize a visit on any weekday, avoiding weekends and national holidays. Please note that sponsors can only meet their sponsored child in the presence of Amrita-Seattle’s staff and the child's parent or guardian. Unplanned visits to the child's home or community are strictly not permitted under any circumstances. Amrita-Seattle is pleased to organize visits for sponsors to meet their sponsored children, and all such visits must be coordinated through Amrita-Seattle staff.

Letters
Sponsors are encouraged to write letters to their sponsored child. In fact, Amrita-Seattle encourages our sponsors to write to their children so as to get to know them and their family better. The sponsored child can also write to sponsors. Many sponsors and sponsored children find this a rewarding experience. If the child is very young or does not know how to write, someone will probably help him/her to write or the Amrita-Seattle staff will write on their behalf. However, any communication to your child should be addressed to contact@AmritaSeattle.onmicrosoft.com

Social Media
As a child-focused organization, Amrita-Seattle recognizes that social media has brought new types and levels of risks to children. While Amrita-Seattle cannot control the use of technology and social media, at Amrita-Seattle, we strive to ensure that children and their families are protected from any potential physical or emotional abuse resulting from inappropriate and unsafe internet and social media use, including the sharing of private information about a child and their family.
We encourage sponsors to develop a meaningful relationship with the sponsored child in a way that is safe, secure and fulfilling for both. Amrita-Seattle also ensures that the content sent to the child is appropriate and culturally sensitive. Because of this, Amrita-Seattle asks sponsors, to not engage in direct, unmonitored communication with the sponsored child or family.
This includes direct contact through the internet or social media (e.g. Instant Messaging, Facebook, Skype, etc.). In order to ensure child's security, we request you to not post your sponsored child's last name or specific location and contact details on the internet or social media sites.

Amrita-Seattle values the privacy and security of sponsors, hence sponsored children and families are discouraged from contacting the sponsor without Amrita-Seattle’s knowledge as well. An important reason why we do not allow direct correspondence despite its seeming benefits is that a family member or someone who knows the child could go online, create an account and pretend to be the child and make demands for money, etc. In light of these concerns, Amrita-Seattle requests sponsors to report any contact initiated by the sponsored child or his/her family, to Amrita-Seattle for both parties security at contact@AmritaSeattle.onmicrosoft.com

The lives of children, their families, and members of their community should be represented with accuracy and dignity. Amrita-Seattle considers the children we work with as our partners, working with us to help bring holistic transformation to communities living in poverty. Amrita-Seattle seeks the full, informed consent of parents, guardians, and/or community leaders for a child's participation in sponsorship program.

For any questions about any of these policies, please email contact@AmritaSeattle.onmicrosoft.com .

If a registered child, family member/legal guardian or donor/sponsor has breached any of the above-mentioned guidelines of child protection, ensure to immediately report such incidences by emailing us at contact@AmritaSeattle.onmicrosoft.com

​

​

​Revised on July 25, 2024