World Vision Australia

eLetter FAQs

Help, I don’t know what to write…

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How long will it take for my eLetter to reach my sponsored child?

The time it takes for your eLetter to reach your sponsored child is usually somewhere between two to six months and can depend on a wide range of factors.

Sponsored children often live in some of the world’s poorest communities, therefore internet and postal services may not be as fast or reliable as we may be accustomed to. Once your eLetter is sent, it will be received and logged by a local World Vision office in your sponsored child’s country. From there the eLetter is printed before being translated where necessary and delivered to your sponsored child; this could be in person, by motorbike or bicycle, boat, truck - even donkey!

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Will my sponsored child respond?

In most cases your sponsored child will respond. This reply will be hand written then sent to their local World Vision office before being forwarded to your address.

While World Vision staff endeavour to deliver all eLetters and their replies, due to local conditions we can’t guarantee every eLetter and reply will be received.

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Can I send photos?

Absolutely! Your photos will be printed for your sponsored child and presented to them along with your eLetter.

These photos are often cherished by the sponsored child.

We encourage you to send photos of yourself with friends and family. However please be mindful that the way people are dressed in the photos or what is featured in the background of the photos would not cause offence to people of different cultures or who live in poor communities. A simple guideline for this would be to avoid photos featuring people in swimwear or revealing clothing or with objects or possessions that might increase the perceptions of difference between you and your sponsored child.

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What if my sponsored child doesn’t speak English?

eLetters are translated by World Vision staff or volunteers in the local office. Sometimes older siblings or members of the local community will translate your eLetters, or if the sponsored child has good English skills translation might not be needed.

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If my eLetter is translated, will my sponsored child also receive a copy of the original?

Yes.

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My sponsored child’s too young to read or write, should I still write?

If your sponsored child is too young to read or write you should still send an eLetter. A family member or teacher of the sponsored child, or even a World Vision staff member can help them understand and respond to your eLetter.

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Will World Vision read my eLetter?

World Vision has a duty of care to all sponsored children. Therefore our policy is to read all eLetters to ensure no inappropriate, misleading or offensive content is included.

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Will World Vision edit what I write?
World Vision will only edit out content that we deem to be inappropriate.

Examples of inappropriate content include:
- Providing your contact details
- Promises that you will visit them or give them gifts
- Culturally sensitive material
- Content which is overtly religious for the sponsored child’s context. Most sponsored children and their families/caregivers have a religious belief and we seek at all times to respect this.
- Content which is overtly political
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What is a Child ID?

A Child ID is your sponsored child’s ID number.

You can find this number printed on your child sponsor photo folder and looks like this: ABC-123456-1234.
If you are unsure of your Child ID number please call our Supporter Service Team on 13 32 40 (local call costs apply).

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Why am I limited to sending only one eLetter every two months?

Every eLetter has to go through a process of being checked, recorded, translated (where necessary), printed and hand-delivered to your sponsored child. This can take a long time and involves numerous people before your sponsored child’s hand-written response makes its way back to you via the translators and postal service. Due to pressure on staff and resources, eLetter correspondence must be moderated.

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The Service Availability page says eLetters are “not currently available” in my sponsored child’s country. What does this mean?

The eLetter service is being progressively introduced to more countries around the world.

Also, from time to time, it might not be possible to send an eLetter to your sponsored child. The local infrastructure might be interrupted by civil unrest or the area might be suffering from the effects of extreme environmental conditions which mean that the World Vision resources in-country are diverted for a period of time.

Please contact our Supporter Services Team on 13 32 40 (local call costs apply) if you have further questions.

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Where are my eLetters stored?

Both draft and sent eLetters are stored on our secure World Vision servers.

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Who can access my eLetters?

Only World Vision staff in Australia and your sponsored child’s country can access eLetters through a secure login.

You can access your eLetters at any time through World Vision Supporter Central.

If you attach photos to your eLetter they are deleted from our system after 6 weeks.

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I still have questions

Our Supporter Services Team are happy to help.

Please call them on 13 32 40 (local call costs apply) or send us a message

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If you have any other questions about World Vision and the work we do, Contact us.

13 32 40

eLetter FAQs

Help, I don’t know what to write…

How long will it take for my eLetter to reach my sponsored child?

Will my sponsored child respond?

Can I send photos?

What if my sponsored child doesn’t speak English?

If my eLetter is translated, will my sponsored child also receive a copy of the original?

My sponsored child’s too young to read or write, should I still write?

Will World Vision read my eLetter?

Will World Vision edit what I write?

What is a Child ID?

Why am I limited to sending only one eLetter every two months?

The Service Availability page says eLetters are “not currently available” in my sponsored child’s country. What does this mean?

Where are my eLetters stored?

Who can access my eLetters?

I still have questions

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