Correspondence from the Field

Do not use form letters. All correspondence should be personal and specific. If the correspondence is a thank you note, the specific gift(s) received should be mentioned. Following are some suggested topics: family and friends, after school activities, items of interest about their country (climate, customs), favorite places to visit, dreams and goals.

If the letter is typewritten in a typing class, that fact should be mentioned in the letter. If it is not, it creates the appearance that the letter is not personal.

Encourage the children to address their sponsor (s) by name. If the child does use a more general greeting, please translate it as "Dear Sponsor."

Children should never ask for gifts or for money

Children should not send their address, email address or phone numbers to their sponsor. They also should not ask for this information from their sponsors.

If the letter has been prepared by someone other than the child, please make a note of that fact on that piece of correspondence. In such cases, please make sure that something from the child’s own hand is included in the letter, i.e. a simple drawing, etc.

Correspondence should be reviewed before translation for compliance with these guidelines and for things such as unfinished sentences and repetitive comments, which make a smooth translation difficult.

The child’s full name and number must be displayed on each piece of correspondence

It is recommended that the Country Coordinator, or his/her representative, review these guidelines with all new translators and from time to time with existing translators