Sponsorship
Frequently Asked Questions

The FARA Child Sponsorship Program is the arm of the FARA organization that aims to provide financial, material and spiritual aid to children in the East African countries of Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Uganda Child Sponsorship Program was established in 1988 in Uganda and Canada with a challenge presented to a friend of Canadian Missionary Colleen Stevenson to start a child sponsorship program to help meet the great need of children in Uganda. Thus, one little boy was sponsored and gradually more children were added as other sponsors were acquired.

This program developed under the mission board of the Church of God in Eastern Canada and the first sponsor became the program coordinator. In 1997 the first review trip was made to Uganda and the coordinator gained first-hand knowledge of the desperate need and opportunity to provide hope for the children. The program is also a great way to provide an avenue for Canadians to significantly engage in missions to help the poor, impoverished families in Uganda.

The Program was gradually developed and expanded to include D.R. Congo and South Sudan and regular review trips occurred every 2-3 years. The name of the program was changed to Furaha Child Sponsorship Program. The program celebrated 30 years of service in 2019. The Church of God in Eastern Canada stopped the oversight of the Furaha Child Sponsorship Program at the end of 2020. The Furaha Africa Relief Association (FARA) charity was formed in 2021 and it initiates projects in East Africa (Uganda, South Sudan, and DR Congo). These projects include the Child Sponsorship Program and projects to improve and provide for life’s necessities for the impoverished. Sponsorship numbers have been maintained around 300 for the last few years with children exiting out of the program and others coming in.

FARA is a charity registered in Canada - Charity Registration No. 73870 0335 RR0001

FARA continues to partner with the Church of God in East Africa. It is no longer sponsored by the Church of God in Eastern Canada but it remains in good standing with the Church of God in Canada.

You may support FARA in several ways.

Provide financial support to a child through our Child Sponsorship Program. This fund covers all the regular costs related to supporting a child's education and includes an annual gift at Christmas for each child. There is also a Child Sponsorship Supplement Fund for sponsored children that enables us to assist those children who, because of their situation, have extra costs for their program.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, you are invited to submit an application form. Following the organization’s review and approval of your application, you will be sent information on one of the children waiting to join the program or a child presently in the program who needs a new sponsor. You will receive a child's background information and correspondence from the child, a minimum of once a year. Generally included is a photo, a letter and sometimes a report card.

Pray for FARA, its leaders, the children, their families and the missionaries.

Regular support costs $ 36/month to sponsor one child. This includes an annual gift at Christmas for the child.

It covers a significant portion of the child’s education costs. Each child receives a base amount and they are also granted additional support as their grades and needs increase. Additionally, a small percentage of the fee is directed towards their education and end-level exams, a requirement before the child can move onto the next level of education. The monthly financial contributions also support the purchasing of school uniforms, certain medical and other relief needs.

Younger children will not need the total amount of the sponsor fee in the beginning but as they progress their fee requirements increase and the funds that have been sent in for their support will be ready for use, as needed. The child’s family also will provide some support, as able, but the program also has a supplement fund which receives donations to help with these extras. Administration funds may be used to support needs outside of regular program support.

No, the monthly sponsorship fee remains the same for the child as long as the child is in the program. However, additional expenses may be given from the supplement fund, if necessary. These funds are available for any child in the program that needs assistance in this way.

As long as the child has a sponsor, the Program endeavors to support them through their education which may include a post-secondary education (college, university or a trade school).

2% of the sponsorship fees is used for administration in Canada and 3.6% in Uganda.