Gifts for your Sponsored Student
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An enjoyable part of the sponsorship experience is receiving a gift from your sponsored student. Students often send drawings, photos, and handmade crafts to their sponsors. In many cases sponsors like to reciprocate, which can enhance the bond between them and their sponsored students. There are two ways to give a gift to your student:

1. Cash Gifts

Since we are not able to ship physical gifts to Guatemala at this time, the easiest way to get something to your sponsored student is to make a cash gift. It can be a nice way to recognize a birthday or other special event.   

Cash Gift Limits

We must respect cultural norms of gift-giving and parental dignity when giving cash gifts, especially to children whose parents may earn roughly $2 per day. The amounts below may seem small to us, but anything over these limits can be overwhelming to families and detrimental to our mission.
Student Grade Level

Kindergarten through 12th grade

12th grade graduation; University
Permitted Gifts (per delivery):

$14 or $28

$14, $28, or $50
IMPORTANT NOTE: If we receive gift donations larger than the maximum amounts above, we will apply the overage to our Unsponsored Student Fund.

Letter and Cash Gift Delivery Schedule

We transfer letters and cash gifts 3 times each year -- keep these dates in mind if you want something to arrive in time for a birthday or graduation:
Gift must be received by:

February 1

June 1

September 1
For delivery:

February - May

June - August

September - January

2. Physical Gifts (when visiting Guatemala)

If you travel with us to Guatemala to visit your sponsored student, you may want to bring a physical gift. Here are some suggestions:

For either boy or girl:
  • Stickers
  • Jacks
  • Backpack
  • School supplies
  • Yo-yo
  • Coloring books and crayons

For boys:
  • Soccer ball
  • T-shirt
  • Cap

For girls:
  • White socks (knee high)
  • Hair accessories
  • Jumping rope