The Answers to All Your Questions
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Is Rural Smiles Foundation a non-governmental organisation?
Rural Smiles Foundation is not formally affiliated with any government, denomination, foundation or corporation, though it maintains positive working relationships with all of these. Because of this independent status, Rural Smiles Foundation does meet the standard definition of a non-governmental organisation.
How is Rural Smiles Foundation funded?
Rural Smiles Foundation receives a majority of its funding from individuals, foundations and corporations. Such private funding accounts for 63% of Hope Centre Foundation’s operating budget, with the rest coming from multilateral agencies and governments. While Rural Smiles Foundation relies heavily on funds raised by its Partnership offices throughout the world, communities receiving assistance always contribute to their own development projects and have a real sense of ownership and true participation. Community involvement is integral to transformational development.
Do people living in project communities contribute to Rural Smiles Foundation projects?
Communities always contribute to development projects and have a real sense of ownership and true participation. Community participation is integral to transformational development.
Do Hope Centre Foundation projects projects create dependence on outside resources?
No. Community development projects are designed to be sustainable with locally available resources, technology, materials, and leadership. Families and individuals share in project leadership, responsibilities, and activities from the start. They are well equipped and motivated to continue in these roles when Rural Smiles Foundation ends its direct involvement in a community.
How does Rural Smiles Foundation help children?
Child sponsorship is an effective and fulfilling way to help give a child from a vulnerable community the chance of a brighter future.
In order to thrive, children need to grow up in an environment that provides the essentials they need today along with hope and opportunities for tomorrow. Children need to enjoy good health and be cared for and protected. They need to be educated for life, be welcomed to participate in decisions that affect their lives and be free to choose to love God and their neighbours. Sponsors’ contributions fund vital development work in their sponsored child’s community, which over time results in a significant improvement in the children’s well-being.
Rural Smiles Foundation works with community groups and the children themselves to plan and carry out changes so that more children will gain opportunities to fulfil their potential in life. Sponsors witness these changes through progress reports from the community and personal communication with their sponsored children. Sponsors can encourage the child they sponsor by writing or even visiting their sponsored child and his or her family.
By combining the donations given by many sponsors in a project area, Rural Smiles Foundation works with a large community for an extended period – typically 5 years. This helps to achieve legitimate development objectives chosen by the community that will benefit sponsored children, their peers, all their families and the whole population. Typically, these activities relate to quality education, health, nutrition, and clean water.
At its heart child sponsorship is a relationship-building tool. The community, the organisation and the sponsors all have opportunities for growth as they unite in the struggle to identify and deal with the effects and deeper causes of poverty.
Is Rural Smiles Foundation formally tied to or a subsidiary of any other entity?
Rural Smiles Foundation is an independent organisation and is not formally affiliated with any government, denomination, foundation or corporation, though it maintains positive working relationships with all of these.
Does Rural Smiles Foundation accept interns and volunteers?
Yes. We do accept interns especially between the months of April and August every year. As for the volunteers, we take volunteers in relation to the open volunteer positions available at a given time.
What criteria does Rural Smiles Foundation employ in determining a project fit for a given community or group of people?
All our projects and programs are fact driven. We determine a particular project based on figures from our baseline studies we conduct. However, project execution is subject to availability of funds.