FAQ 1

Do you have a question about Asian Aid? Click on the tabs below:

What is Asian Aid?

Asian Aid exists because people like you believe in the transforming power of education and the ability to bring about positive change in people’s lives. Thanks to our donors and supporters, we have provided education for the needy, protected children at their most vulnerable and empowered the undervalued for over 56 years. Your generosity has helped thousands of children, their families and communities experience a life beyond their wildest expectations.

Asian Aid is a Christian, non-profit organisation that is committed to alleviating poverty by providing children with educational opportunities, promoting the holistic development children and their communities in which they live by addressing social issues such as child rights, human trafficking, life skills and health education.

Asian Aid is an Australian registered charity.

What is Asian Aid’s mission?

At Asian Aid we believe hope finds its truest expression when given and received in community. That’s why our mission of ‘giving hope by fostering permanent positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children and communities’ happens in collaboration with our donors and supporters, our implementing partners, our churches and governments both in Australia and abroad.

Our mission is about empowering children today and giving them hope for the future.

What is Asian Aid’s relationship to the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

Asian Aid believes in the potential of the Seventh-day Adventist education system and we work alongside of the Church as an independent and supporting ministry. We cooperate closely with the Church in seeking to empower people, particularly vulnerable children – regardless of religious affiliation or belief – and meet the needs of the poor, as Jesus did.

What is Asian Aid’s relationship to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)?

Asian Aid is an accredited, supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whereas ADRA is the church’s official development and relief agency. Asian Aid endorses ADRA’s ministry and seeks to collaborate with ADRA if and when possible.

Where do donated funds go?

Donations and children sponsorship received go to support our programs and activities overseas. We take out costs such as administration, community education and fundraising activities in Australia and at all times are mindful to our expenses.

For more information, please review our latest Annual Report or contact us.

Tax Deductibility

All donations made to Asian Aid Organisation will continue to be 100% Tax Deductible.

How does the Child Sponsorship Program work?

While we still have our traditional sponsorship, our child sponsorship for programs also connects a supporter to an individual child in a personal way.

The difference is that with the child sponsorship with programs; the sponsorship money is pooled to fund projects, activities and initiatives in the child’s school, community or family to improve the child’s life.

This program supports families, schools and communities to become more self sufficient and sustainable so they can better support their own children. This way, your sponsorship support will go even further to help children – and their support networks – grow strong for life.

How do sponsor children participate in community projects?

Children participate in a number of ways. They are involved in decision making, they help plan and run appropriate activities. Children also receive training and support throughout the duration of activities, initiatives and projects in their school and community.

How do the families, schools and communities benefit from the Sponsorship Program?

Families, schools and communities help identify – with the involvement of sponsor children – their most pressing needs. The sponsorship funding then helps our partners design and implement programs that address such needs in a sustainable way.

How do sponsor children benefit from their involvement in this program?

Sponsor children become central to the development work. Children learn to be responsible, to identify school or community needs, to make decisions and to feel like an essential part of the community. And once some of the pressing needs in families, schools and communities start to be addressed, children will benefit from stronger communities that can better support them.

What is the sponsorship rate?

The sponsorship rate is $49 a month for each child. A sponsorship plus ‘bonus’ option of $55 a month is also available, and will allow Asian Aid to run additional child focused activities in disadvantaged schools or communities.

Where does my sponsorship money go?

Your sponsorship money supports child-focused projects run by Asian Aid’s partners in Bangladesh, Nepal and India.

These projects help to improve the well being of children and break the cycle of poverty through community-based activities. These may include:

  • After school programs for children
  • Sanitation and water projects
  • Awareness programs aimed at preventing human trafficking
  • Agricultural training programs
  • Child rights and protection awareness programs for children and their communities
  • Education and school capacity building activities

How are the sponsorship rate subsidies calculated?

Each financial year Asian Aid reviews operating budgets.

Can I write to my sponsor child?

Your sponsor child would love to receive letters or postcards from you. Please be sensitive in what you write and send all letters directly to the Asian Aid office: P.O Box 333 Wauchope, 2446, NSW Australia. Your mail will then be sent in bulk to our partner offices, who will deliver your letters to your supported child/children. Refer to our Write To Your Child guidelines please for more information.

Where should I send letters for my sponsor child?

Because the safety and protection of the children in our program is of utmost importance to Asian Aid, our Child Protection Policy was amended (in 2016), to ensure additional measures are taken to safeguard the children in our program. One of these changes has meant that all mail from our supporters to their supported child/children, must now be directed to the Asian Aid office: P.O Box 333 Wauchope, 2446, NSW Australia.

To ensure your mail goes out on time each quarter, please send your mail by the 25th day of the following months: January, April, July and October to the Asian Aid office. Please include your name and supporter ID, and your child’s name and ID in all your mail.

How do I make sponsorship payments?

A regular – monthly, quarterly or annual – credit card payment is the easiest way to pay for your sponsorship. You can contact us on (+61) 02 6586 4250 to set up a regular credit card payment, or you can set it up yourself by using your online account, your unique username and your password.

Payments by direct debit, cheque and/or money order are also possible. PayPal payments are currently unavailable. Do not send cash to the office please because mail can go missing at times.

Is child sponsorship tax-deductible?

Yes, child sponsorship payments are tax-deductible. You will receive a receipt for all sponsorship payments at the end of the tax year (after June 30 in Australia) unless you request otherwise.

Can I visit my sponsor child?

In the interest of child protection, we do not facilitate visits to children in our program. We may occasionally offer trips to give supporters a general insight into our projects and the issues we are working to combat. For more details, please contact our office.

What happens to my sponsor child if I can’t continue to sponsor him/her?

We know sponsors do their best to continue sponsoring a child until the child completes our program. But at times, despite the best intentions, some sponsors are not able to continue making payments. If you need to cease sponsorship for a period of time, but still want to keep the child you are sponsoring, please inform us and we work with you to find a solution. Your generosity is appreciated.

What is Child-Focused Development?

Child Focused Transparent 1

What is Child-Focused School Development?

WHO WE ARE 1

What is ‘My Asian Aid’?

‘My Asian Aid’ is a personalised and secure online account that allows you to manage your sponsorships and donations, and update your details. It is convenient as it can be accessed 24 hours and 7 days a week.

You can use your ‘My Asian Aid’ account to:

  • Check and update your payment details, including credit card details.
  • Check and update your contact details.
  • Download annual tax statements.
  • View your sponsored children.
  • Make donations and see recent payments.

Click here to login and use the username and password provided to you when you first joined the Asian Aid family. If you are unsure of your username please contact us.

What can I do if I have not been issued with, or have forgotten, my account username and password?

If you do not know your username or password please contact us and request your account login details. Once you receive these details, you can login to ‘My Asian Aid’ and change these details yourself.

What if I have forgotten my password to access ‘My Asian Aid’ account?

If you have forgotten your password go to the ‘My Asian Aid’ login page and click on the link ‘Forgot your password?’. You will be able to enter your email address or username to have a password reset link emailed to you. When you receive the email, click on the link and you will be directed to a page where you can enter a new password.

Please note: This is an automated system. Please contact us if you experience any issues.

How do I update my contact details and/or credit card information?

You can update your contact or credit card details by logging into ‘My Asian Aid’ and making the necessary changes.

How can I set up regular project donations?

To set up a regular project donation, choose one or more projects, login to ‘My Asian Aid’ and select your preferred payment method and frequency.

How can I get a copy of my tax statement?

We post copies of tax statements after the end of the financial year to the address you have given us. If you have not received your tax statement it may be because we have an incorrect address for you, the envelope got lost in the mail, or there was an administration error. Email us and we will send you a copy of your tax statement as soon as we can.

Where are my payments up to?

Log into ‘My Asian Aid’ if you have received a reminder about payments that might be behind, or if you want to know when your next payment is due. You can make a payment there. If you need help registering for ‘My Asian Aid’ or are unsure about your login details, call us on (+61) 02 6586 4250 and we can help you.

What can I do if I am unable to continue my child sponsorship?

While we are sad to see your sponsorship end, we understand that you may have other commitments or may not be in a financial position to continue. Thank you for the support you have already given to a disadvantaged child so far. Email or call us on (+61) 02 6586 4250 and we will arrange this for you.

If you only need to cease sponsorship for a period of time, but still want to keep the child you are sponsoring just call us and when will work with you to find a solution.

How else can I make payments?

If you don’t have a credit card and wish to make a regular or a one-off donation, you can set up direct deposit from your bank account to the Asian Aid account, post a cheque or pay by money order. Do not send us cash please as mail can sometimes get lost in the post.

For internet banking (direct deposit), please use the following details:

In Australia
Account name: Asian Aid Organisation
Bank and Branch: ANZ Wauchope NSW
BSB: 012 864
Account number: 2564 22282
Using the reference: * Your unique banking code

In New Zealand:
Account name: Asian Aid Organisation
Bank and Branch: ANZ Manukau City, Auckland, New Zealand
Account number: 010190-0239417-00
Reference: * Your unique banking code

* As a reference: Please include your unique banking code. This payment will be identified as your sponsorship payment. For donations other than sponsorship, please include the project name or the purpose of the donation. This will help us direct funds to how you intend them to be used.

What is Asian Aid’s Child Focused Approach (CFA) and how is it different?

We still continue to support child sponsorship and it is part of our DNA.

In 2017 Asian Aid moved its focus from the direct sponsorship of children (welfare-based) to child focused development (rights and development based) programs.

Our existing and original sponsorship model means donors directly support an individual child to attend school and those children remain in this program.

However, in some cases, the school are far from the child’s home which means they had to leave their families in order to attend.  When they return and back in their villages, families still lack access to basic health services, employment opportunities and many became victims of trafficking schemes and addiction. That can leave the sponsored child vulnerable.

Our child focused development programs aim to improve the well-being of the children by supporting their whole community to improve rights, health education, training and development, micro-loans, all designed to help lift up the child within that community. This approach empowers children, their families and their communities to become catalysts for change and break out of the cycle of poverty and vulnerability not just now but for generations to come.

What are some examples?

These are projects and activities that Asian Aid will implement in addition to the current projects and activities we undertake.

Designed to address one or two of the UNCRC’s components of Survival, Development, Protection and Participation, these short-term projects will include some of the activities below:

Survival
  • Training on child nutrition and provision of supplements where required;
  • Training for new mothers, school and home staff on child development;
  • Development and implementation of Asian Aid’s Standards of Care at all supported Children’s Homes;
  • Review of all files for individual children who live in Asian Aid supported Children’s Homes, to reconnect and reunite children with family members and relatives, if possible.
Development
  • Development and implementation of Asian Aid’s Standards for Education Providers for all supported schools and training institutions;
  • Student life skills training programs;
  • Gender specific enrichment programs;
  • Career counselling for senior students.
Protection
  • Ongoing Child Protection awareness training;
  • Introduction of a children’s Personal Safety Program;
  • Alternative Discipline Training for school and home staff;
  • Participation in advocacy and lobbying for children’s rights.
Participation
  • Establishment of a network of Children’s Committees;
  • An annual Child Focused Forum with representatives from throughout the Asian Aid program;
  • Feedback and sharing activities through the Child Enrichment packages.

I believe in a sponsorship model that is holistic. How can I help?

We are always excited to hear from people who share our passion for supporting, nurturing and enabling children and young people – and their families, communities and schools – to live, learn and thrive so they fulfil their God-given potential in life.