Here we offer you the opportunity to view the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Perhaps your question is also included and you can inform yourself directly.
Everything else:
Mr Arthur Rohlfing
info@skpmail.org
Since when does the Sonnenkinderprojekt exist?
The Sonnenkinderprojekt was founded in 2003.
How many members does the Sonnenkinderprojekt have?
On january 1st, 2018 the Sonnenkinderprojekt had 431 members.
In which locations does the Sonnenkinderprojekt help?
In Okatale the Okatale Primary School.
In Swakopmund the Namib High School, the Coastal High School and the Swakopmund Primary School.
In Rehoboth the Rehoboth Primary School and the M & K Gertze High School.
In Windhoek the Gammams Primary School and the Khomas Primary School.
What’s the amount of the sponsorship contribution?
The sponsorship contribution is 20 EUR per month
The sponsorship contribution includes the membership fee.
Do I have other options to support the Sonnenkinderprojekt?
There is the possibility of an open sponsorship, starting with 5 EUR per month.
How much of the sponsorship contribution actually reaches Namibia?
15 EUR of the 20 per month are transferred to the schools
The 20 EUR are split as follows: 15 EUR are sent to the schools. 3 EUR are allocated to the personal use of the children, e.g. for clothing, school material, food, but also toys or the like. The schools manage this part. 2 EUR are kept by the Sonnenkinderprojekt to cover bank fees, postage rates and administration costs.
Direct debiting of the sponsorship contribution
The sponsorship contributions will be debited from your account. You can choose between quarterly, semi-annual and annual debit. For organisational reasons the first debiting after you have accepted a sponsorship may take some time.
Can I offset the sponsorship contributions against tax?
Yes, since 2003 the Sonnenkinderprojekt is accepted as non-profit association by the tax office Sulingen with the tax number 45/270/04351.
How long does a sponsorship last?
Normally a sponsorship ends with the graduation from school. Primary school in Namibia is seven years, high school is completed with grade 12.
How does the money reach the children/the schools?
The amounts are transferred to the schools on a quarterly basis.
What is the cost of promotion and administration?
All members of the Sonnenkinderprojekt staff are volunteers.
Is it possible to terminate a sponsorship?
According to the association articles termination is possible by the end of a quarter in every year.
Does a regular contact between the sponsors and the children exist?
Generally, a correspondence by e-mail or letter develops. Our schools have e-mail addresses and all the Sonnenkinder tutors speak German. Of course the contact might take a little longer in case of children at the beginning of their school career as those need to learn how to read and write first.
Letters from the children to their sponsors are sent together by airmail to the Sonnenkinderprojekt that forwards them to the sponsors. Since all board members are volunteers, the Sonnenkinderprojekt cannot handle the correspondence from the sponsors.
The Sonnenkinderprojekt tries to offer a guided journey to Namibia every now an then to get to know the land and people in general as well as the sponsored schools and children.
Is it possible to visit the sponsored children?
Of course sponsors can visit “their” children in Namibia at the schools on their own. If desired the Sonnenkinderprojekt will be glad to be of assistance. It is important to consider the Namibian school holidays in the planning of such a trip.
Can sponsored children be invited to Germany?
In case the children go to high school they might visit their sponsors in Germany. The travel expenses, accommodation, food, insurance, etc as well as the entry formalities are to be borne by the sponsors.
Why do I sometimes have to wait before being matched with a child for sponsorship?
Our representatives in Namibia check the families’ social background first. We want to make sure that only those really in need are supported by our project.
Can I send packets, letters and presents to Namibia?
We strongly advise not to. In the past we experienced that almost none of the presents reached the intended recipient. We recommend handling the contact by e-mail.
Does the Sonnenkinderprojekt provide further information material?
As we do not want to waste any money from our members, we forgo any complex brochures. Any necessary details (association articles, press reports, bank accounts etc.) can be found on our website www.sonnenkinderprojekt.org.