EARTHWARD
Sponsorship Terms and Conditions
Turn your vision earthward -
'Tis we must lend
a hand.
1) The sponsor will donate $25 per month via EARTHWARD, which will be passed to the sponsored child's parent or guardian, minus administration costs specifically arising from this sponsorship. None of this donation will be used for other EARTHWARD projects, nor for general operational expenses unrelated to this sponsorship. EARTHWARD will do its utmost to minimize sponsorship administration costs {Western Union fees, etc.}.
2) The donation is for the benefit of the sponsored child's immediate family, as seen fit by the parent or guardian. For example, we would certainly not insist that all of a sponsorship donation be used for that specific sponsored child, while his unsponsored brother or sister goes hungry. {Note that even if we wanted to do that, it would be impossible to enforce.}
3) The sponsor may elect to donate additional monetary gifts to the sponsored child's family, which will be handled in the same manner as the regular monthly donation described in 1) above. A gift is something given freely, however, so neither sponsored children, nor their parent or guardian, should directly solicit the sponsor for such gifts. If there are urgent needs, which are not covered by the regular monthly donation, the parent or guardian should request further assistance from EARTHWARD, not from the sponsor.
4) EARTHWARD welcomes communications by email or email attachments between Sponsor and Sponsored Child (and his family if all parties agree). If email is not available to either party, we will try to arrange an alternative. All such communications will be passed through EARTHWARD, however, for reasons described in 6) below. We recommend such communications on a more-or-less monthly basis.
5) The subject matter of these communications is unlimited, with the following exceptions:
A) Subjects deemed by EARTHWARD to be exploitive or otherwise inappropriate for children. Two examples would be sexually explicit subjects, and proselytization.
B) Personal details that could lead to direct contact between child and sponsor.
6) In that EARTHWARD does not have the resources to carry out extensive background checks on potential sponsors, and it may be considered an unwelcome intrusion on their privacy if we did, EARTHWARD will monitor all communications between child and sponsor, and remove restricted content as described in 5), above. This is intended to protect the children from those who might attempt to use our organization as a vehicle for child exploitation of any form. We will try to perform these monitoring and forwarding functions in as timely manner as possible. But we ask for understanding from both sponsors and sponsored children, that our resources are limited and any communication significantly beyond the once per month recommendation could be delayed.
7) The sponsored child's parent or guardian has the final authority and responsibility to monitor all mail passed in either direction, and remove any content deemed inappropriate.
8) Infrequent passage of small packages between sponsor and sponsored child, on special occasions, such as the child's birthday, etc., will generally be supported by EARTHWARD, but it would need to be prearranged, and the sponsor must agree to bear the cost of shipping, regardless of the direction of shipping.
9) Termination of sponsorship may be executed by:
A) The Sponsor, by notifying EARTHWARD, who will pass the notice to the sponsored child's parent or guardian.
B) The Sponsored child's parent or guardian, by notifying EARTHWARD, who will pass the notice to the sponsor.
C) EARTHWARD, by notifying both the Sponsor and the Sponsored Child's Parent or Guardian.
Termination may be for any reason deemed appropriate by the party executing it.
10) The sponsored child's parent or guardian authorizes EARTHWARD to use and publicize the child's photo and self-introduction, and possibly other information that does not compromise the child's or the family's privacy, as deemed necessary for seeking potential sponsors.
11) Both the Sponsor and the Sponsored Child's Parent or Guardian will be required to sign an agreement stating the above terms and conditions.