Background:
EF’s core activity in North West Tanzania is focussed on water, sanitation and hygiene. EF seeks to work in partnership with marginalised communities to deliver sustainable development projects with a particular focus on health and improvements in economic prospects.
As the EF team travels around the two districts it operates within implementing and overseeing its various projects, the team often comes across some distressing situations which it unfortunately cannot help with. However, on a few occasions the situations encountered are so dire that they cannot be left without some action purely for humanitarian reasons. On these occasions EF has stepped in to help and usually involves a child that leads back to a family that is in a dire situation.
EF would like to be able to deal with these dire situations but in a more planned manner and hence the Family Support initiative was born.
Structure:
The idea is to match sponsors with families and bespoke the support required under the following guiding principles:
Guiding Principles:
- Sponsor per family for agreed term e.g. sponsor supports complete education until children leave school. The reason that this programme will look to sponsor a family versus an individual is that in most cases the individual’s circumstances reflects the whole family’s position so the solution has to be for the family.
- EF’s principal goals are associated with water, health and hygiene and are therefore not looking to seek out families that need support so this will arise only opportunistic/by chance situations.
- No sponsoring will be promised/offered to a family without prior confirmed sponsor to ensure that the funds are provided until the situation found is resolved.
- EF will find a locally based person to liaise between the sponsored family and the sponsor and to provide a level of oversight. A contribution for such local person’s costs to be made by the sponsor. In addition, at no additional cost to the sponsor, EF Guernsey will visit sponsored families at least bi-annually.
- EF will raise funds which it will put aside in a separate account for “Welfare Use”. These funds will be used to deal with emergency situations such as helping a family that requires support until a sponsor is found; in such cases this will only ever be short term immediate assistance.
Benefits:
- Certainty to family receiving benefit.
- Sponsor will know what the likely cost of sponsorship will be from the outset before any commitment is made. However, over the term, the sponsor may increase that at their option, no pressure will be applied by EF.
- Sponsor will know exactly where the funds are spent and have a direct involvement so if sponsor so chooses can develop a “one to one” relationship.
- Sponsor can choose to visit as part of one of the bi-annual trips to Tanzania.
- Relatively low cost for a significant impact
Health Warning: This commitment can easily grow so any sponsor must be alert to the emotional impact before getting involved and be prepared to meet the commitment or any additional commitments made for the agreed term.