What It Really Means to Sponsor a Child Through AFJS Trust

Child sponsorship is one of the most direct forms of philanthropic giving: you commit a sum, a specific child benefits, and you receive updates on their progress. But every organisation does it differently. Here is exactly what it means to sponsor a child through AFJS Charitable Trust.

The Basic Commitment: ₹25,000 per Year ₹25,000 per year (roughly ₹2,100 per month, or ₹70 per day) covers one child's full year of school fees at St. Xavier's Primary School, Devbagh, Bhavnagar. The payment goes directly from AFJS Trust to the school, in the child's name, with a stamped receipt as proof.

School fees are the primary barrier between a child and their education. When fees go unpaid, the school has no option but to ask the child to leave. Covering those fees in full, for a full year, is the single most direct intervention we can make.

Every rupee is documented. We maintain a child-level record for every enrolment: fee receipts, attendance records, progress notes. If you ask for a full accounting of how your ₹25,000 was used, we will provide it.

How the Money Actually Moves When you sponsor a child, here is what happens mechanically:

• We identify a child whose school place is at risk due to unpaid fees
• We verify the family's situation through our community contacts and direct conversation
• A donation cheque is raised and delivered directly to the school, in the child's name
• The school issues a stamped receipt confirming payment
• We photograph the receipt and send it to the sponsoring donor
• The child's enrolment is confirmed for the full academic year
• We begin tracking the child's attendance and progress

There is no cash handling at any point in this process. The fee goes from donor to school, documented with receipts that we share.

Partial Sponsorship: It Also Works Not everyone can commit ₹25,000. We have donors who give ₹5,000 or ₹10,000 and whose contributions are pooled with others to help cover a child's school fees. Smaller amounts are never wasted. They directly reduce the shortfall between what a family can afford and what the school requires.

• ₹5,000 contributes toward nutrition programme costs for the children we support
• ₹10,000 contributes toward our broader education and welfare programmes
• ₹15,000+ can be pooled with other contributions to co-sponsor a child's full fees

What You Will Receive as a Sponsor We want to be completely honest about what we can and cannot offer, because we have seen the inflated promises that some larger NGOs make.

What we offer: - Photos: Photographs from our programmes, showing children in school, at nutrition drives, at community events. We are careful about child privacy and will always seek appropriate permissions. - Impact updates: Regular WhatsApp or email updates about programme activity - Your child's story: When you sponsor a specific child, we will share their story with you (with appropriate permissions) and provide updates on their progress - Annual report: A year-end accounting of how your funds were used - Receipts: Official donation receipts for 80G tax purposes if you require them

What we do not yet offer: formal pen-pal programmes, video calls with the sponsored child, or the kind of relationship-building that requires significant infrastructure to manage. We are a small, founder-led organisation. Our bandwidth for administration is limited. We put it into the children, not into donor relations.

A Story: A Sponsored Child When Ms. Ramakrishnan reached out to John Dsouza about sponsoring a child's education, she did not ask for anything elaborate. She asked for confirmation that her money would reach a child.

We enrolled Noor, a Class 6 student at St. Xavier's whose fees were critically in arrears. The cheque was written. The receipt was issued. The photograph was sent to Ms. Ramakrishnan.

Noor, with her school place secured, went on to win second place in the school's Rangoli competition that year. She wants to be an artist.

Ms. Ramakrishnan saw that photograph of the certificate. She renewed her sponsorship for the following year.

That is what child sponsorship through AFJS Trust looks like.

How to Become a Sponsor The simplest way is to WhatsApp John Dsouza directly at +91 63573 69174. Tell him you'd like to sponsor a child. He will match you with a child whose education is most at risk, share the full details, and coordinate payment.

You can also donate online at joyfullsmiles.org/donate and note "Child Sponsorship" in your payment reference. We will follow up within 24 hours.

Your ₹25,000 is not just a donation. It is a year in a child's life.