Classmates frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about CLASSMATES
What is CLASSMATES?
CLASSMATES provides supporters of SLA the opportunity to create a special link with a specific class of children in the Home-cum-School in Tuni and be part of their unfolding lives. It costs £18 a month. Your money will go towards supporting all the children in the Tuni Home-cum-School, providing them with shelter, food, clothes, education and medical care.
Why CLASSMATES?
In our Tuni Home we now have 500 children who have come from situations of dire poverty and personal tragedy. Most of them have been taught to regard themselves as valueless, dirty and polluting because of attitudes in Indian society towards lower castes, particularly Dalits and they therefore have come to us with very low self esteem. As they become part of our Home they learn that they have a right to be treated with respect as dignified, human beings, entitled to basic human rights, including education and health care. Therefore we and our Indian Partner felt that we should not establish the more traditional child sponsorship scheme because the sponsored children would feel very special while children who were not sponsored would feel rejected yet again. Thus SLA has devised CLASSMATES as an alternative scheme where no individual child will feel left out.
How does CLASSSMATES operate?
A CLASSMATE supports all the children in the class allocated to you. Each year you will be given a photo and life story of one of the children in the class. You will also be given general information on your class. This will provide a window into the lives of these courageous children which will help them to know that they matter and that they are unique individuals. Should you become a CLASSMATE you will have that special link that is so valuable and life-affirming to you and the children, but the link will be with many of these vulnerable, children not just one.
How much does CLASSMATES cost?
£18 a month. That works out as about £4.15 a week, or 60p a day. These funds are used to support the ongoing care of all the children in the Home.-cum-School.
Will individual children know they are being sponsored?
No because the link is between the supporter and a class and not the supporter with an individual child.
What will a CLASSMATE receive?
You will receive
• A card with a photograph of the class you are supporting and a history and photograph of one child in that class.
• An annual update of the progress of your class plus a photograph and life story of another child from your class.
• two newsletters a year informing you of the progress of the Charity
Why do I not receive specific updates on individual children?
The CLASSMATES scheme enables you to have a link with a class and the children within it. No special relationship is formed with any one individual child for the reasons stated in FAQ 2.
Is there more than one CLASSMATE to each class?
Yes, as there are normally between 30-50 children in each class there will be different supporters supporting the same class. To enable you to become familiar with the class we select 8 children per class whose stories we share with you over the years you support the class.
Where does the money go?
The money you give goes towards the running of the Home-cum-School will provide the support to all the children in the Home-cum-School. No money given goes towards a specific child or class. Of your donations 90p in every £1 goes to our Indian projects with the rest being used to raise more funds, for administration and for governance. Our UK costs are largely underwritten by Trusts and individuals. We also use the money recovered from Gift Aid for the ongoing development and expansion of our work. SLA aims to increase the amount of Scottish expenditure covered by the above ways and therefore to reduce the 10% we currently use from each donation to fund the UK expenditure.
May we write to the child?
As all the children are together in the Home we do not allow supporters to send letters directly to a child as we want to eliminate the possibility of any child feeling left out. However, you can send postcards to your class. The children love receiving postcards as it affords them a glimpse into the wider world of which they know so little. They will be hung in the classroom and used as educational tools. For the protection of the children all postcards must be sent to the SLA office to ensure the content is appropriate before sending them to the Home.
When will I receive my yearly updates?
The yearly updates will be sent out in December. This will include a new photograph and update of the progress of your class plus a photograph and life story of another child in the class.
May we send presents to a child?
No, we do not allow sponsors to send gifts. This is because all the children live in the Home together and we want to eliminate the possibility of any children feeling rejected.
Can I tell people about CLASSMATES ?
Certainly, please tell your family and friends about CLASSMATES. However, the children we work with are extremely vulnerable and we have a duty to protect them, so we ask that you respect their anonymity and dignity and refrain from sharing their details with any press or broadcast media, or website.
What happens if I have to stop my support?
At any time, if you need to stop sponsoring, you can of course do so. SLA will do its best to find a replacement supporter. It is very helpful, however, if you are able to inform SLA that you are going to stop.
How long does CLASSMATES last?
The simple answer is: it’s up to you. When your class completes 10th class, approximately when the children are 16 years old, SLA will write to you and ask if you would like to support another class i.e. continue with CLASSMATES or perhaps help a child through Further Education.
What religion are the children be?
The children who live in the home are brought up in a Christian environment but are put under no pressure to become a member of a Christian Church.
What happens if a child leaves the home?
The children in our Home have been brought to our Home because they were destitute. They soon settle into their new family. However, as some of them have lived rough on the streets and rubbish tips for a long time, they find it impossible to readjust and they leave the Home despite the best efforts of the Home staff to integrate them. As the relationship is with the children in a class and not an individual child nothing should change.
Further questions?
We hope that you can find everything you need on our website, but should you have any questions, please feel free to phone the SLA office on 0131 629 9112, or email us at enquiries@sla-india.org with your questions. We make every effort to respond to email enquiries as quickly as possible. However, due to the high level of correspondence, there may be a delay in our reply.
