Yes. Global Shore connects one student with one sponsor only in the amount of $43/month.
ADRIÁN BATRES
GRADE 2
Adrián likes SpongeBob Squarepants. He makes him laugh! He would like to have a cat as a pet because they are soft and playful. Adrián loves to play soccer. His dad plays for a soccer team in Antigua and he wants to be just like him!
The Student Sponsorship Program provides Christ-centred education for students enrolled in our school (Colegio Cristiano Avivando El Fuego). Your support, combined with the support of other sponsors, allows families to send their students to a safe school regardless of their socio-economic background. Parents are invited to a monthly meeting involving teaching about parenting and regular announcements where staff are available to talk about student progress.
Your sponsorship of $43/month is combined with other support to help Global Shore Opportunities provide breakfast for students from JK – Grade 6, specialty classes like English, Bible and Computers, a 24-hour security presence on-campus to ensure safety, and a supportive administrative team.
Each student is paired with only one sponsor and receives a photo of their sponsors. Student sponsors receive a yearly prayer card and three correspondences a year (sent with our ministry updates). You are also welcome to stay in touch through our Sponsorship Coordinator. (Details are provided upon processing of first financial contribution.)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I contact my sponsor student?
Yes. We encourage you to write to your sponsored student through Global Shore Opportunities. While mail can be sent to our head office, electronic communication is quicker and will certainly make it to your sponsor student within the week! Your note will be translated and passed along.
By signing up as a sponsor with us, you also agree to our policy that you will not communicate with your sponsor student outside of GSO. This includes, but is not limited to emailing, phone calls and social media. Please do not add your student (or any other student under the age of 18 in our school) on social media or accept a request from them. It’s our responsibility to protect our students and we want to ensure that communication is done well, done right, and done with the best interests of the student in mind.
Can I give gifts to my sponsor student?
We encourage sponsors to give gifts as appropriate. You can contact our Sponsorship Coordinator for culturally-appropriate gift ideas. We may also have ideas for specific family needs which could be met. In most cases, an online donation will allow us to purchase a gift in-country which can then be wrapped and given.
If you sponsor a student, you may give a gift to the student’s entire class instead of individual gifts. Not all of our students are sponsored and sometimes a whole-class party allows every student to celebrate. Depending on the donation amount, class gifts could range from a pizza party to a class set of books or a field trip.
We do not permit monetary gifts.
Can I visit my sponsor student?
Yes! Sponsors are welcome to join us in a short-term trip. If you’re visiting Guatemala on your own, please feel free to contact us and we will gladly receive you at the school to introduce you to your student and give you a tour of the school and ministry.
Sponsors are welcome to join us for our celebration trip when students reach graduation. You will be contacted well in advance of this date and invited to join us in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
What happens when my sponsor student graduates?
Global Shore Opportunities works to provide quality, Christian education for students from kindergarten through to Grade 12. When your student graduates, you will be invited to attend their graduation and celebrate with them. Once a student graduates, though, they are no longer part of our sponsorship program. At that time, you will be offered another sponsorship opportunity either with another student, or with a teacher partner.
Why have I been re-assigned a student?
Since our sponsorship program is school-based rather than community-based, students come and go as families move, encounter difficulties or simply elect to move their child to another school. Sometimes, parents will not meet the requirements necessary for their student to remain enrolled at our school. When students are no longer registered in the program of CCAF, they are outside of the ministry scope of GSO and are no longer sponsored by our program.
When a sponsor student leaves our school program, you will be informed right away and offered another student sponsorship. (If we do not hear back from you, we will provide another student sponsorship.)
When a sponsor student graduates, sponsors are invited to sponsor another student’s education, or to partner with a teacher. If we don’t hear from you by the start of the next academic year, a new sponsorship is automatically assigned.
Where does GSO work?
The Global Shore office is based in Ontario, Canada, with an American office in Pennsylvania. Our ministry operates exclusively in Guatemala.
Will I get a tax receipt for my sponsorship donation?
Yes. Global Shore is a registered Canadian charity and issues tax receipts for all donations within Canada. Tax receipts are mailed out February of the following year. As of January 2020, we are in the process of applying for charitable status in the United States. See the below information about tax receipts which are currently being issued for donations from the United States. We are not able to provide tax receipts for other countries.
According to IRS regulations for organizations in the tax exempt process, Global Shore Opportunities is authorized to provide US donor tax exempt receipting; however, US contributors to the organization do not have advance assurance of deductibility because the organization’s exemption is pending. If the organization ultimately qualifies for exemption for the period in which the contribution is made, the contribution will be tax-deductible by the donor. If contributors have specific tax-related questions, please contact a financial advisor.
Is GSO affiliated with a church or denomination?
GSO is not directly under a particular local church or under the umbrella of a denomination. The founders of GSO are committed Christians in their local faith communities. In Guatemala, we work closely with La Gloria Que Impacta, a local, apostolic church network led by Jacobo & Julianna Pelaez.
Is my monthly donation going directly to my sponsor student or their family?
Donations do not go directly to sponsor students. Instead, monthly donations combine with the support of other sponsors and donors to fund the operational costs of the school. We believe this is the most sustainable way to provide long-lasting educational support to our students. Students are enrolled through a scholarship system that your contribution makes possible. Parents pay a very small tuition that is adjusted according to their economic means.