Frequently Asked Questions
How can I sponsor children Canaan?
Easy! If you want to sponsor a specific child, go here to see which children still need sponors. Once you've picked a child (or if you're not interested in sponsoring a specific child), you can then sponsor Canaan two ways:
- By Regular Mail: Click here to go to the forms page. Fill out the form, and send it in to the address indicated
- Via the Web: see below for details
If I sponsor a child at Canaan, how is my money used?
In order to make sure that all children at Canaan are treated equally, all sponsorship money is deposited into one account, and from this account, money is used to take care of all Canaan children equally. This insures that all of the children will be provided for, regardless of whether they are fully sponsored, partially sponsored, or have no sponsors at all. The money pays for food, clothing, medical care, school fees, staff salaries, and other miscellaneous expenses (i.e. mattresses, mosquito nets, etc.). If you are interested, view a list of children at Canaan that need full and partial sponsorship.
If all sponsorship money goes into one account, why should I sponsor any one child?
Some people do donate money to Canaan without specifying any particular child. The advantage of sponsoring a specific child is that the sponsor and child can write to each other, pray for each other, and develop a relationship that is beneficial to both!
Do I have to write to the child that I sponsor?
No, it’s not “required”, but Canaan children really do love hearing from the people that sponsor them! If you think that you would prefer not to write to your sponsored child, it might be better to consider sending general sponsorship money to Canaan without designating your donation for any particular child.
How much of my donation actually goes to Canaan?
All of it! 100% of all donated funds go directly to Canaan. There are no administrative fees, handling fees, or anything else. Christian Aid Mission (the non-profit corporation through which Canaan donations are given) charges Canaan nothing for their service. They simply collect all donations, and then wire the money directly into Canaan’s bank account every other month. (There is a small bank fee charged to wire the money, but that fee is paid for by another source.)
How much does it cost to fully sponsor a child at Canaan?
Since 2001, "full sponsorship" has been set at $50 per month, per child (partial sponsorship is any amount less than $50 per month). This amount has not changed in the last 10 years, despite the large increase in costs over this period. It actually now costs on average just under $78 per month to fully support a child at Canaan. We have been considering raising the amount of “full sponsorship” to $75 per month, but are hesitant to do so because of the economy.
I’m sending my money to “Christian Aid Mission” for Canaan. Who are they? What is their role in supporting Canaan?
Christian Aid (www.christianaid.org) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) missions agency that serves as a link between individuals and native missionary ministries. For Canaan, they are responsible for collecting all donations intended for Canaan, and then wiring 100% of this money directly to a Canaan bank account in Uganda every other month. As mentioned above, Christian Aid charges nothing for this service. They do not oversee Canaan, its sponsors, ministries, or personnel, but only act as a conduit for funds intended for direct use by Canaan. Donating via Christian Aid allows U.S. donors to consider their donations as “charitable” for IRS tax purposes; Christian Aid also sends all donors their year-end statements confirming their giving for that year.
Can I donate to Canaan via the web?
Absolutely! Just follow these steps:
1) Go to the Christian Aid website
2) Click on the red "Give Now" box in the upper left hand side of the page.
3) In the CAMCode Box, put 568CCTC, in the description put what you want the donation to be for (such as your child's name), and in the Amount Box put whatever amount you want to donate.
4) You can then decide whether you want this to be a one-time donation or an automatic monthly donation. Leave a message for Canaan if you’d like (in the message box).
5) Click the "Add To Cart" Button, and then click on the yellow Proceed To Step 2 button. (Allow a little time for the new page to load, because it's taking you to a new secure website.)
6) In Step 2, just fill out all your pertinent information, and follow the remaining instructions. You'll have a chance to review your information before finalizing your donation. That’s all there is to it!
I’d like to donate to Canaan for a particular need. Is this possible?
It is. Over the years, people have donated funds for food, clothing, playground equipment, and a host of other things. Currently, Canaan needs funds to complete the second story of the primary school. When a donation is given for a particular need, Canaan will do their very best to see that the donation is used for that need. However, the donor needs to understand that the final “decision” as to how funds are spent at Canaan is up to Pastor Isaac and the Canaan board of directors. It may be that an emergency (such as the fire in one of the dorms a few years ago) or special circumstances dictate that the donation be spent on something other than what was hoped for by the donor. There have even been times when special donations had to be used to pay for basic necessities for the children, just to keep Canaan open.
How do I write to my sponsored child at Canaan?
Easy! Just send letters to:
Your Child’s Name
Canaan Children’s Home
P.O. Box 1915
Jinja, Uganda, East Africa
The cost to mail a (one ounce) first class letter to Uganda is 98 cents. (Some people just stick three $0.44 US postage stamps on their letter.)
Can I communicate to my child via email?
Although Canaan does have an email address, we are just not equipped to handle all of the email traffic that would occur if Canaan sponsors and children were emailing each other.
Can I send my child a gift?
Pastor Isaac respectfully asks that you not send gifts or packages to your child, for two reasons. First, most packages are unfortunately lost or stolen in the mail. Secondly (and more importantly), when one child at Canaan receives a gift, it can cause great sadness or even envy among the other children. Remember, letters to your sponsored child are always welcome!
What happens after my child graduates and leaves Canaan? Can I still support him/her?
Absolutely! Even when a child is too old to remain at Canaan, Pastor Isaac still wants to encourage the student and support him or her financially as they continue their education (usually a trade school, college or university). Towards this end, Isaac has set up a scholarship fund. As opposed to the sponsorship program where all donated money is pooled together, the Canaan Scholarship Fund is set up so that donations made on behalf of a particular student are earmarked just for that student. Depending on the school chosen and the nature of study, fees can vary widely. Shortly before a student leaves Canaan, the student’s sponsors are informed of the student’s future plans (along with the school fees involved), and is given an opportunity to partially or fully pay for this continued education.
Are Canaan children available for adoption?
The short answer is no. The goal of Canaan Children’s Home is to train orphans to be Christian men and women who will be spiritual examples in Uganda in order to show Christ's love. For that reason, Pastor Isaac and the board at Canaan Children’s Home desires that children of Canaan remain in Uganda as ambassadors for Christ, and so the children at Canaan are not available for adoption. If you strongly desire to adopt a Ugandan child, please let us know and we can direct you to other orphanages.
I’m interested in volunteering to work at Canaan. How do I go about this?
Canaan has more than 50 employees who work as teachers, administrators, cooks, foster parents, secretaries, nurses, and a host of other positions. This means that Canaan is actually fully staffed, and so is not in need of volunteers. That said, Pastor Isaac is sometimes interested in volunteers who can bring a unique skill or ability to Canaan that the staff at Canaan does not already have.
How did the orphanage start? How did Isaac come to start Canaan Children’s Home?
For a brief history of Isaac and Canaan, read our History page.
If you have any other questions not answered above, please send us an email via our contact form. We’ll do our best to answer your questions as quickly as possible.