Thanks for taking an interest in our Families for Families (F4F) Sponsorship Program– we would love to have you on board as a sponsor!

Please read on for more information about how you can get involved.

so what’s it all about?

The Families for Families Sponsorship Program (F4F) is a critical source of regular income that enables fws to send money to each Kesho Leo family. Kesho residents live in family units headed by a ‘house mama’ – a local, single mother, who is keen for a home, family atmosphere and an income– who looks after her own children and some orphans.

After five years of building, fundraising, training and recruiting, in 2009 Kesho Leo welcomed its first eight house mamas and their children. We expect to welcome orphans to these households in 2011 so that each Kesho Leo family will have a total of five children.

how much does it cost?

For a tiny $31 AUD a month you can make a massive difference to the quality of life of a family at Kesho Leo (so not just one child, but several children and a vulnerable woman) and help them to look forward to happy, healthy and sustainable futures.

Your sponsorship contribution not only goes toward covering the basics for a family living at Kesho Leo such as food, water and shelter (naturally) but we really make those dollars stretch so much further and the money also covers costs associated with their education, health, clothing, security, local transport, daily living incidentals and more! There’s even a matched savings plan (kind of like a salary sacrifice program) whereby if a Kesho Leo house mama is able to save some money from her personal allowance each month, fws will match it.

Check out the fws Families for Families How it Works booklet for more details of how your contribution will help.

(hmmm… $31 works out to be approx. $7.50 a week which is just pocket change when you think about it. Maybe you could take a packed lunch to work once a week or drink a few less take-away coffees – that’s totally achievable!).

how does it work?

At Kesho Leo each family’s F4F sponsorship income is placed in a ‘Family Bank’ that is managed by the house mama with support and advice from fws staff. Family Bank funds are carefully tracked and disbursed by the Kesho Leo Finance Manager and as house mamas learn about budgeting their regular income they will have more independent control of their own ‘Family Bank’. House mamas are encouraged to save funds for the future where possible and to add to their own ‘Family Bank’ any surplus income from small business initiatives.

what’s a sponsor family?

A ‘Sponsor Family’ is a group of 15 people each paying $31 in sponsorship fees per month. It might consist of some people from the same family, a group of friends, people from the same workplace, a netball or football team or just a random bunch of fws supporters that we’ve put together. So essentially you all become a ‘family’! The program needs a total of 8 ‘Sponsor Families’ to support the 8 ‘Kesho Families’ currently living at Kesho Leo.

can I join a sponsor family?

Yes – everyone is welcome! If you would like to become part of a sponsor family, our Sponsorship Program Manager would love to put you together with other sponsors who need some more members in their ‘Sponsor Family’. Easy!

how do I send my money?

Each individual sponsor can either make an upfront payment of $372 for the year OR they will be responsible for ensuring they have set-up their own monthly direct debit of $31 for payment of their sponsorship fees, which are due on the first day of each month. Individuals will receive an Australian tax deductible receipt for their payments (issued annually at the end of financial year period). So don’t worry, you do not have to coordinate or make ‘group’ payments -phew!

how long is the sponsorship program designed to last?

We are looking for sponsors that are willing to commit to a minimum 12-month period please (but we hope you stay on with us long after this).

Our goal is that over time the Families for Families scheme will be phased out and completely replaced by independent income streams at Kesho Leo such as small businesses run by house mamas. We haven’t seen this goal attempted elsewhere and we aren’t exactly sure if it’s achievable. We just think it’s something fabulous to be striving for and we will do our best to phase out the need for sponsorships at Kesho Leo ASAP so that you can move your sponsoring generosity over to our next village!

do I receive progress reports about my Kesho Family?

But of course! You will receive regular progress updates on the Kesho Leo family that you are sponsoring (with details about what’s been going on in their daily lives, what they have been learning and what they have been doing) with photos too!

okay I’m hooked, where do I sign up?

Simply fill in our online form and from there you can make your annual upfront payment OR set-up your monthly credit card payment (through PayPal) / direct deposit. After submitting the form you'll receive an email confirmation with all the instructions you need. If you have any questions or special instructions feel free to email sponsorship@foodwatershelter.org.au and our Sponsorship Program Manager, Kate McNally, will contact you.

The receipt of your application will be confirmed and you will then receive your first letter introducing you to the members of your Kesho Leo family.