1.Question: How can I make a donation?
Answer: Online: Donating online is our easiest option. You can donate using any major credit card. All international donations made on the Felix Family Villages website.Take care when filling out billing and shipping information; PayPal has a highly sensitive automatic fraud alert system and it picks up any inconsistencies in these subjects.
- In the US by check : Send checks to our office at: Assist International- 501(c)(3) P.O. Box 66396, Scotts Valley, CA 95067. If you're donating in honor of someone, or want to direct your donation to our operations costs, please write this in the memo of your check.
- In the US by phone: Please call our office at (831) 438-4582. The office is open Monday through Friday. Upon making your donation, please also let us know if you're donating in honor of someone (and their name).
2.Question: It is better to support a specific child or to support the orphanage in general?
Answer: Both are vital. Some people feel too much pressure when they are assigned to a specific child and would rather support the orphanage in general, where others desire and love the personal contact with one specific child.
3.Question: What percentage of my gift actually goes to the orphanage?
Answer: We take a 5% administrative fee and the rest is used at the discretion of the orphanage for caring for the children.
4.Question: Is it okay to send a gift for birthdays and Christmas to the child I support? If yes, what is the best way to send gifts?
Answer: The answer is yes, it is great to send a gift. It is okay to send an actual package, but, the postage can be expensive. So, we always recommend that people just send a monetary gift and then the house parents can purchase a gift or the child, if older, can decide what they really need. We also ask people, when sending a package, to send something for the family too – like a game, puzzle, stickers, or art supplies
5.Question: Does my support go directly to the child assigned to me?
Answer: The answer is yes and no. The sponsor’s support definitely directly provides for their specific child, but, no – the funds that come in for all the kids are distributed evenly to support all the Felix Villages families so that every child’s needs are taken care of.
6.Question: Will the child I support feel bad if I don’t write letters to him/her?
Answer: The answer is no. Correspondence from child sponsors is welcomed and appreciated, but, not expected.
7.Question: Why does the child I support not answer the questions I write to him/her?
Answer: The answer is that it is a challenge for the kids to get all the letters written to child sponsors. It is best to write informative letters back and forth without expecting an ongoing conversation.
8.Question: When should my support for the child end? Does CF stop supporting the kids when they reach the age of 18?
Answer: The answer is that each child is unique and the time frame for becoming independent is unique for each, just like for your own kids there in the US. Some of the kids at the age of 18 are ready to launch and others are not – perhaps due to educational or developmental delays in their early years because of neglect or abuse they experienced before coming to their CF family. We will keep the child sponsors informed about transitions and especially when kids are launched and no longer need support.